Meet the Global team powering RONIN's success

As Group CEO, my role involves working closely with the leadership teams at RONIN, Reading Room and Fat Media to cultivate a group culture that encourages curiosity, ambition, and empathy for our employees and clients.

I firmly believe that a happy team leads to satisfied and committed client relationships. Moreover, I foster an atmosphere of innovation and efficiency in the way we approach the work we deliver.

As the head of the project management team since 2018, I’m managing a team of 15 project managers across our London and Hamburg offices.

On a daily basis, I oversee that each project we conduct is set up and fielded within timeline and budget, and that our clients’ needs and expectations are met.

As part of my role, I also coach and train the project managers to help them successfully develop project management core skills such as organisation, pro-activity, problem-solving, multi-tasking and high level of communication, so we can deliver the best service possible.

As the  Operations Director, I hold the responsibility of overseeing all aspects of our operations related to projects. Working closely with our Managing Director, I strategically plan and direct various teams.

One of my key duties is to manage and nurture our relationships with suppliers and partners who are integral to our project work. It's crucial to ensure smooth collaborations and maintain the high standards we set for our projects.

Another important aspect of my role is providing internal service cost analysis for all the departments I oversee. This helps us make informed decisions about resource allocation and budgeting.

As Group Compliance Director at RONIN, my role is to ensure that our work complies with applicable legal and regulatory requirements, trade association codes and guidelines, and best practice. I am also responsible for our twin ISO 20252 and ISO 27001 certifications. 

My focus is on finding creative solutions to our clients’ compliance problems, turning challenges into opportunities, and in so doing, adding value to client relationships. Internally, I care about implementing efficient and modern processes that make practical sense. 

I first joined RONIN as a telephone interviewer and never looked back! 

I serve as CATI Manager at RONIN. I’ve led a diverse 16-year career in market research assuming various roles encompassing all research methodologies. However, CATI has remained a personal passion. In my current capacity, I am responsible for ensuring the operational excellence of RONIN's three CATI centres located in London, Lancaster, and Hamburg.

I've driven transformative improvements by building bespoke teams of people managers and executive interviewers, introducing tailored reporting systems for operational efficiency. One of my primary areas of focus revolves around upholding best industry practices and fostering strong client relationships by upholding the highest standards of data quality.

My journey at RONIN began in 2013, where I cultivated a deep understanding of data collection tools and methodologies, pre-sales. Bringing more than two decades of varied experience in Information Technology, I oversee automation, design and implementation of data collection surveys for organisations across various industries.

I’ve had the privilege of contributing my expertise to renowned organisations like Dynata, Grail Insights, McKinsey & Company and Toluna. I would love to connect and explore how I can help in getting your survey ready to collect data.

I am responsible for the Survey Compliance department, which delivers at RONIN; testing of projects, translation of materials and data collected, transcriptions and interpretation of in-depth interviews and focus groups, overlay of translations, and data coding.

The SC team can also support the project management team when an extra hand is needed for data validation. I am also responsible for the Quality Control (QC) department at a managerial level, which involves QC processes assessment, planning and creation, as well as the resources and task management of the QC Team. 

Zifei Li (BArch, Tsinghua University) works as Global Digital Research Director & Area Manager Hong Kong. She oversees Digital Research capacity across different locations, as well as the operations of RONIN Hong Kong subsidiary. Zifei established digital research department in 2019 and has developed digital research methodologies since then. The digital department is a fast-growing and one of the most successful departments in the company.

With over a decade of experience in Market Research, I am enthusiastic about contributing to our clients' success in collecting high-quality robust data & generating meaningful insights.  

In my role, I support the Project Management department by leading on complex projects, as well as by coaching and mentoring our talented PMs in all aspects of project delivery excellence.

With expert practical knowledge of efficient project management and research methodologies, I enjoy working on both qualitative and quantitative studies. I'm passionate about providing exceptional service and fostering positive & collaborative partnerships with clients, partners as well as within our own cross-functional team.

As part of my role as Deputy Director of Projects, I lead a team of project managers and manage the full life cycle of projects, both quantitative and qualitative across all methodologies.

I mentor new starters and keep an eye on projects run by the team members to ensure we stay on track to complete on time and on budget. RONIN offers innovative recruiting methods of niche audiences utilising digital, CATI and online methods, also the scripting and checking of surveys, translations, plus ensuring compliance standards are met, involves many internal operations teams to connect with. Adding client service to this means no day at RONIN is quite the same. Keeping clients happy and internal teams on track to deliver certainly keeps me busy!

As the learning and development manager at RONIN, I’m passionate about creating a learning culture, making learning fun and love seeing others grow in skills/confidence, giving everyone an equal opportunity to succeed.

By investigating existing approaches, I get satisfaction from identifying areas we’re not utilising to their full potential for no extra cost or providing a time-saving. Since 2014, I’ve conducted needs analysis identifying skills gaps within teams, management, systems, and processes. 

I regularly attend HR/learning and development events/webinars to network with other professionals keep up to date with the latest trends and hot topics.