Three new hires at Simpson Carpenter. CATERINA SPADINI, who spent seven years with Millward Brown in London and Paris, joins the major studies team as account manager. FIONA SIMMONS, most recently at Quaestor, is a new senior research executive and SARAH WOLFF, leaves Define Research and Insight to join as research executive.

JESS FRANCIS has been promoted to the post of senior research executive at Discovery Research. Francis has most recently been working on a project with the BBC, and HIV charity NAM.

Research Reporter has named VALERIE HEISING as client director for North America. Heising was previously a senior market research consultant at Washington Mutual.

SIMON RAWLINSON is to head up the strategic research and insight team at asset consultancy EC Harris. He was previously head of professional development at construction consultancy Davis Langdon, where he oversaw the firm’s research and market intelligence function.