O’Shea (pictured) was previously global head of ad research and insights at social media company Snap, Inc, and prior to that held client-side and agency roles at organisations including Kantar, Twitter and New York Magazine.

At Alter Agents, she will oversee research functions and work with others to establish and execute the company’s overall vision.

Alter Agents has also appointed Casey Willard as chief analytics officer. Willard will develop and oversee the company’s analytics department, working closely with staff on training, processes and protocols.

Prior to Alter Agents, Willard led analytics teams at consumer insights and research firms including Hypothesis Group, Hall & Partners and Millward Brown (now Kantar).  

Managing director Eddie Francis, who has been with the business for 12 years, becomes chief operating officer, responsible for overseeing functions such as information technology, budgeting, staff development and hiring, and vendor relationships.

Francis will continue to work closely with chief executive and founder Rebecca Brooks and the rest of the leadership team.

Brooks said: “Our new hires have the perfect mix of experience and skills to complement our existing team, bringing both on-the-ground and strategic expertise to help us meet our goals for the future.

“We have had a year of expansion as we push for evolving the market research ecosystem toward approaches that fit today’s consumer and shopping landscape. This new team will help bring us, and our clients, to the next level of growth.”

As well as the three additions to the leadership team, the company has also appointed Rebekah Bell and Katie Zmijewski as research directors.

Bell previously held the role of senior research manager at GfK, and has additional experience in the advertising and tourism industries. Zmijewski was most recently director of insights at Escalent, working in a range of consumer categories.