Peter Luff named managing director at Synovate Retail Performance

Luff (pictured) will be responsible for expanding the division’s geographic footprint and building a greater analytics capability to support existing data collection tools.

He was previously at software firm Silicon Graphics where he served as professional services director for EMEA and the Americas. Earlier in his career he spent time with FujiFilm, Crosfield Electronics and Electrolux.

Luff will report to Ged Parton, Synovate’s CEO of global practices and capabilities, who said: “Peter is a proven specialist in professional services and is highly knowledgeable, commercial, and sales orientated, ideally placing him to lead this exciting business into its next phase of growth.”

The division, which provides footfall services and retail analysis, was previously SPSL which was acquired and integrated into Synovate in late 2007. Luff will take over the running of the division from SPSL founders Paul Tombs and Dominic McGuiness, who are leaving Synovate to “pursue their entrepreneurial careers”.

Meanwhile in the US Xavier Quenaudon has joined the company as senior vice president of customer experience, where he will be responsible for supporting Synovate’s industry verticals by implementing the firm’s suite of customer experience products.

He joins Synovate after a 17-year spell with CFI Group where he was VP of client services and led customer satisfaction programmes in 25 countries.

Mary Beth Lake, Synovate’s head of capabilities for North America and CEO of the firm’s MarketQuest product design and development group said: [Quenaudon’s] addition to Synovate will serve our clients in their own attempts to create and deliver outstanding experiences for their customers.”