Insights agency Columinate is joining forces with global consumer insight and collaboration agency, InSites Consulting.
Founded in 2008, Columinate was South Africa’s first modern insights agency and, under the leadership of co-founder and CEO Henk Pretorius, has grown into South Africa’s largest and leading digital research specialist. By joining InSites Consulting, Columinate raises its African growth ambitions.
InSites Consulting is recognised among the top 100 largest and top 10 most innovative market research agencies in the world. The agency helps global brands to make better and faster marketing decisions, combining smart digital technology with contemporary marketing know-how.
From today, InSites Consulting will be present on four continents with eight client service offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, the US, Germany, Romania, Australia and South Africa.
With Columinate having demonstrated impressive year-on-year growth of +35% over the last four years, driven by increasing client adoption of digital research methods, InSites Consulting wants to build on Columinate’s strong momentum to be a relevant partner for both regional and global brands in South Africa and the broader African continent.
“We have been paying close attention to Columinate’s development and growth for a few years now, and it’s refreshing to see that both our agencies share such a strong cultural DNA and the same approach to client service,” says Tim Duhamel, co-founder and chief security officer of InSites Consulting.
“With the acquisition of Columinate, we take a strategic position on the African continent, recognised by many of our global clients as a future growth market. Columinate has also pioneered several products and services that can strengthen and add value to our current portfolio, to the benefit and delight of our clients,” adds Kristof De Wulf, co-founder and CEO of InSites Consulting.
Henk Pretorius will adopt the role of MD of the South African office, and will also join the global InSites Consulting organisation as a managing partner. His broader focus includes defining the strategic direction of InSites Consulting to help it achieve its ambitious corporate goals.
“We are fortunate to have such a strong, future-focused partner in InSites Consulting, which means that more global brands can benefit from our methodologies. Not to mention being able to better service more regional and global brands right here at home,” Pretorius says.