Ashley Walker joins data consultancy Cynozure

Fast-growing data consultancy Cynozure has appointed Ashley Walker as the firm’s new Marketing Director. The move comes as Cynozure looks to expand its senior team, and support another year of heightened demand.

In a new age gold rush, nearly half of organisations now apply data for insights and decision-making, creating data ecosystems worth billions of pounds – though many are struggling to get the most out of those new connections. At the same time, this is opening firms up to new kinds of risks, with cyber-attacks on the rise.

Amid this, with the importance of data is increasingly recognised among business leaders while the costs of security lapses continue to rise, an industry study by 451 Research found that 60% are looking to improve their data capabilities in 2023. That means that demand for consultancies which can support firms in their leveraging and securing of data is also booming.

One particular example of this is Cynozure; a data and analytics consultancy, founded by CEO Jason Foster in 2016. With offices on either side of the Atlantic, the young firm has since enjoyed explosive growth, and was even named in the Sunday Times’ top 50 fastest- growing private companies in 2022. As the firm looks to build on that momentum for the coming period, it has announced a series of senior appointments.

The latest of these is Ashley Walker, who arrives as the firm’s Marketing Director. Based in London, Walker will play a key role in supporting Cynozure’s sustained growth trajectory, helping it expand its UK client base while growing operations in markets around the world.

Having worked in both US and UK markets, Walker has 20 years of experience leading marketing and communications in data and insights organisations. Her previous roles include Vice President, Corporate Communications at Research Now, a first-party data company since renamed Dynata; Global Marketing and Communications Director at Hall & Partners, an insights agency part of Omnicom; and Marketing Consultant for RealityMine, an insights technology company.

Commenting on her new role, Walker said, “Having worked in the insights industry for many years, and as a marketing and comms professional, I believe wholeheartedly in the value of data to build and drive business and client value. Cynozure's purpose is one that really resonates with me. I look forward to working with a great group of talented people and helping grow the business even further.”

Thanks to its rapid growth in two of the world’s largest professional services markets, Cynozure is already a trusted partner to a number of high-profile brands. It works closely with these organisations to support them to use, access and understand their data in a way that facilitates better decision making across the business. Its active clients Knight Frank, Baillie Gifford, Samaritans, Penguin Random House and Open Data Institute. Looking ahead, the company hopes the support of Walker will see even more blue chip names added to that roster.

Cynozure’s CEO, Jason Foster, added, “We are excited to welcome Ashley to our team as we embark on our next stage of growth. Her global marketing experience and expertise will help us to continue to develop and grow partnerships with clients and accelerate our mission of contributing to a better future for all through the open and positive use of data.”