A turn of the tides? The IIAR> Analyst and Firm Of The Year 2019

By / / 451 Group, AR, CCS Insights, Cignal AI, Constellation, Forrester, Gartner, HFS Research, IDC, IIAR>, IIAR> News, IIAR> Press Release, IoT Analytics, IT Analysis Firms, The IIAR> Analyst Of The Year (AOTY)

London, Wednesday 27th November 2019. At the IIAR> we believe in taking a stance and recognising greatness when we see it -an approach we find more impactful than sprinkling awards to dozens of “winners”. 

Today, at the IIAR> London Christmas Party kindly sponsored by HCL, we celebrated the top industry analysts and firms of the year. The IIAR> surveyed analyst relations professionals globally and from diverse industries, predictably casting a wide net on coverage areas. The evaluation used the IIAR SOSM methodology, to reflect the best practice promoted within the IIAR> looking at not only perceived sales impact, but also strategic insights, resonance in the media and ease of doing business with.

This year, analyst relations (AR) professionals have voted and provided clear insights both on the value they see from analysts, as well as how they perceive industry analyst firms’ value to them as clients. There were some interesting shifts in the 2019 results compared to prior years…read on to learn more! 

Without further ado, the Analyst Relations community has spoken and the winners are….

IIAR> New Analyst Of The Year 2019

IIAR> New Analyst of the Year 2019

IIAR members were again asked to identify fresh talent within the analyst community. We asked you to call out your IIAR ‘New Analyst of the Year’ nominations and we are delighted to announce: 

IIAR> New Analyst of the Year 2019:
Eric Schmitt / Gartner (LinkedIn), covering AdTech. 

AR pros commented that Eric “got up and running really quickly and always strives to deliver best value.”

The runner ups are Mark Harris / Gartner (LinkedIn) covering security, and Erica Spinoni / IDC (LinkedIn, @SpinoniErica) covering AI, Scott Wilkinson / Cignal AI (LinkedIn, @ScottWilkinsonQ) covering Optical transport and networking, Jason Cerrato / Gartner (LinkedIn, @JasonACerrato) covering HCM, Knud Lueth / IoT Analytics covering, you’ve guessed it, IoT.

IIAR> Analyst Of The Year 2019

The IIAR> Analyst Of The Year 2019

The overall winner of the IIAR> Analyst Of The Year 2019 is Frances Karamouzis, Chief of Research and Distinguished VP Analyst / Gartner (LinkedIn, @Fran_Gartner), covering sourcing strategies for business and IT services. Respondents consistently commented on Frances’ “Exceptional understanding of the market dynamics and its ecosystem players, with strong influence in engaging with C-Suite decision makers.” 

“#GRATEFUL.   Its humbling to be recognized for this award as analysts are constantly in the company of amazing minds.  And most of all, this includes all of my teammates and colleagues. Any award of this type is tribute to the team rather than any one individual.“

Frances Karamouzis / Gartner, IIAR> Analyst Of The Year 2019

She is followed in second position by Dan Bieler, Principal Analyst / Forrester (LinkedIn, @DSBieler) covering digital platforms and business innovation strategies, who commented:

“A great working relationship with AR professionals is essential to get the work of an industry analyst done. Many thanks for the trust that we have built over many years.”

Dan Bieler / Forrester

See also Dan’s 2016 IIAR> Around in 10 Questions interview.

In third place comes Nick McQuire, Vice President, Enterprise Research / CCS Insight (LinkedIn, @nickmcquire) said:

“Thrilled and honored to be among the analysts recognized in the IIAR’s 2019 Analyst of the Year nominations. This is 100% down to our fantastic clients and the superb team we have at CCS Insight. Our research is laser focused on helping our clients assess key market trends, understand the implications for their businesses and above all, succeed with customers. The wonderfully close and productive partnerships we have within the AR community helps make this possible.” 

Nick McQuire / CCS Insight

Bindi Bhullar, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner (LinkedIn), and Phil Fersht, CEO and Chief Analyst at HfS Research (LinkedIn, @pfersht) round out the top 5 nominations for the 2019 IIAR> Analyst of the Year awards and were also recognised for their research and contributions. There were many nominations from the AR community this year, but these 5 analysts were most often called out for providing consistent value by the AR community. 

IIAR> Analyst Firm Of The Year 2019

The IIAR> Analyst Firm Of The Year 2019

This year’s Analyst Firm of the Year award was hotly contested. After four years in the lead with IDC and Forrester jockeying for second place on the podium, it was interesting to see Gartner moved down to third place. We’ve redone the maths several times but it was the verbatim comments which shed some light on AR professionals’ lost love for the industry research behemoth. Whilst Gartner is still recognised for its breadth of analyst coverage and overall impact, with many analysts being commended for their individual work, survey feedback indicated Gartner as an organisation has become increasingly more difficult to work with, attracting severe criticism on overall client experience from in-house analyst relation professionals. 

The IIAR> Firm Of The Year 2019 is Forrester (website, @forrester).

“Well done to Forrester for coming on top this year, earning praise from analyst relations professionals for its thought leadership and agility.“

Ludovic Leforestier / IIAR> Board Member

In second place comes IDC (website, @IDC).

In third place, we have Gartner (website, @gartner_inc) 

In fourth position is HFS Research (website, @HFSResearch)

And in fifth place, 451 Research (website, @451Research)

Other Analyst Nominations

Most impactful analyst – Has significant impact on sales and end-user buyer preferences: Donald Feinberg / Gartner (LinkedIn, @Brazingo)

Most insightful analyst – Continuously delivers thought provoking industry insights in research: Ted Schadler / Forrester (LinkedIn, @TedSchadler)

Best project results – Consistently delivers sound, practical advice and results for their clients: Adam Ronthal / Gartner (LinkedIn, @ARonthal)

Most social influence – Broad reach within social channels and communities: Ray Wang / Constellation (LinkedIn, @rwang0)

IIAR> Client Partner Of The Year 2019

IIAR> Client Partner Of The Year 2019

The IIAR> Client Partner Of The Year 2019 is David Stanley / Constellation (LinkedIn, @kiwigate), whom members said they appreciate his collaboration as he, “really looks to deliver clear business value” and is a true partner. Special mention from the IIAR> Awards Committee for the best LinkedIn banner as well…

The runner-ups were: Jeremy Green / IDC (LinkedIn, @JeremyG86006699) and Erna Begic / Forrester (LinkedIn).

“Congratulations to everyone who has been recognized by the IIAR community – and thanks to the AR professionals for taking the time to vote. Here’s to continued engagement between industry analysts and the community of AR professionals  in 2020!“

Stephanie Look / IIAR> Awards Committee

IIAR> Webinar: results from the AOTY 2019 survey

IIAR> members will be able to dial in the webinar presenting detailed results on the 13th December 0800 PST / 1100 EST / 1600 GMT / 1700 CET > register here.

The IIAR> Awards Committee

Previous IIAR Analysts and Firms Of The Year

%d bloggers like this: