Here’s the full text of the announcement:

Ipsos Loyalty has announced the appointment of Jonathan Nicholls as head of employee research in the UK. Nicholls joins Ipsos Loyalty from Ipsos MORI’s Public Affairs division.

In this key role, Nicholls will spearhead the delivery of Ipsos’ employee research strategy in the UK, including the optimum integration of employee research into the Ipsos Loyalty client offer. He will also focus on the development of major employee research programmes delivered in collaboration between Ipsos Loyalty and Ipsos Public Affairs.

An industry heavyweight, Nicholls brings to the role over 15 years’ experience of heading up research teams across commercial and not-for-profit sectors. He first joined Ipsos MORI (then MORI) in 2001, creating the company’s first dedicated specialist qualitative research unit. A few years later, he took on the role of head of research at the Mental Health Foundation, before returning to Ipsos MORI in 2006. During a 7-year period as head of health research in Ipsos Public Affairs, Nicholls led the successful bid for the government’s GP Patient Survey, developed an organisational audit tool for the NHS, and championed the adoption of real-time data collection to drive service improvement in challenging healthcare settings.

Commenting on his appointment, Nicholls said: “I’m very excited about joining Ipsos Loyalty. My most recent work has been on service improvement in the NHS, so I’m delighted to be moving into a role that focuses on how organisations can engage their employees in delivering the best for their customers. I look forward to working with the team to grow and develop our employee research business.”

Niall Rae, managing director of Ipsos Loyalty UK, added: “Jonathan is a highly valuable addition to the team. He will bring his extensive experience to bear on how we continually evolve our employee research offering in a fast-paced and competitive landscape.”