Tuesday, May 16, 2006

New home for top mobile analyst

Ben Wood, one of the best known and most well respected analysts in the mobile comms sector, has joined Collins Consulting (aka CCS) as director of clients.

This is a big change for Ben, who is moving from being a research VP at Gartner to director of clients at a small UK consultancy. Talking to him, the reason for the move becomes obvious:

"I've had a fantastic five years with Gartner but it's time to embark on a new challenge and use my expertise and ambition in a smaller business environment. I've known CCS for sometime and it's a great fit. The company has a great set of clients and we've got ambitions to grow."

Established in 1993, CCS positions itself as providing "analysis, insight and foresight for the wireless world" via a range of consultancy services. It also provides forecasts and measurements on handset shipments, terminal pricing research and a weekly news analysis.

Although small, CCS has attracted some high profile clients including Orange, KPN, Sprint / Nextel, Sony Ericsson and Motorola. While Ben won't name names, the CCS client roster also includes "several major media and content players."

Moving forward, Ben and his colleagues on the management team, Shaun Collins and Mick Walker, have big ambitions:

"The mobile industry is going through some exciting changes as network operators wrestle with the challenges of downwards price pressures, handset manufacturers see margins being squeezed and new players - particularly from the Internet space - look poised to come in and disrupt the sector.

"With all of this in mind, we believe there's a great opportunity for smaller, more focused companies to offer strategic advice. With the wide range of expertise we have in house, as well as some of the plans we have for the future, I believe that we can successfully tap into this opportunity."

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