Sandpiper Group, an independent reputation and policy management consultancy group headquartered in Asia Pacific, has announced the launch of Sandpiper Research & Insights, a research firm specialised in supporting communications and public affairs practitioners.

The firm will be led by Craig Young as interim Managing Director, and he is supported by a team of professionals based across the region. Paul Chong will oversee brand, market, and reputation research and measurement, while Alexander Thomas will lead social and digital analytics. Additionally, Kelly Johnston and Iris Ng will spearhead thought leadership and partnerships. The launch builds on the significant existing dedicated research work by Sandpiper to support communications and public affairs programmes for their clients, which have shown substantial growth over the past year.

Kelly Johnston, Chief Operating Officer, Sandpiper, said, “In a world driven by data, we have had an increasing focus on building the research and insights capabilities within our business. This has helped us to develop world leading thought leadership platforms for clients and unlock more strategic and measurable results. As a growing competitive advantage for our firm, the time is right to launch Sandpiper Research & Insights as a stand-alone sister brand within the Sandpiper Group. We are delighted to have Craig onboard to lead this business and to welcome Paul and Alex to our growing research team.”

Craig Young, Interim Managing Director, Asia Pacific, said, “I am thrilled to be taking on this new challenge. Sandpiper Research & Insights meets a growing need in the market for research approaches that can help address the unique challenges faced by communications and public affairs practitioners. Modern communicators need research partners that have a clear understanding of their objectives, storytelling, stakeholder engagement, and an ability to operate at pace.”