GfK has appointed new leaders for three of its key industry teams in North America, leveraging the knowledge and talents of proven strategic thinkers in Automotive, Consumer Goods, and Technology.

Dale Drerup joins GfK as Automotive lead, bringing over 25 years of consumer insights experience to the role. Prior to GfK, he headed sales management, strategic direction, and operational and quality planning for the Global Automotive Sector at MaritzCX. He has also held leadership roles at TNS and Maritz Research.

June McPherson, the new Consumer team lead for North America, comes to GfK with a mix of supplier and client experience in market research, marketing, sales, and operations management. She began her career as a brand and product marketer at Pfizer, then held key management roles at The Coca-Cola Co. In 2004, McPherson joined SymphonyIRI, where she led consumer insights for the second-largest IRI client; she later moved on to high-level positions at RetailNext, GlobalEdg, and Beta Research Corp.

Tom Neri – currently head of GfK’s Financial Services team in North America – will also assume the role of Technology industry leader. In over 30 years in consumer insights, Neri has developed a reputation as a strategic planner and trusted advisor to management. He has previously headed up research practices covering Financial Services, Tech, and Media, as well as leading practices in Customer Loyalty – so he is already a proven leader, with deep industry knowledge. Neri has held similar leadership positions at other noted research organizations, most recently Ipsos and Vision Critical.  

“Our industry leaders shape GfK’s engagements with clients,” said Don Simons, GfK’s Head of Industries for North America. “Through their strong guidance and careful team building, they bring the best of GfK to bear on every challenge clients share with us. Dale, June, and Tom have credentials and reputations that speak for themselves; they are known as innovators and can-do partners in solving the toughest business problems. Their proactive styles will assure that GfK is responsive and smart in its approaches to product and marketing assignments large and small.”