Newsworks picks ‘storytelling’ champion Dansie to lead insight team

Newsworks, the marketing body for newsbrands, has appointed Heather Dansie as research and insight director.

Dansie has joined from Publicis Media and replaces Denise Turner, now Route Research CEO, who held the position between 2015 and 2022. She will join Newsworks’ senior leadership team and report to CEO Jo Allan.

At Publicis Media, Dansie worked in several senior research roles across the network since joining the insight team at Starcom in 2011. She is credited for leading the cultural thought-leadership output for agencies and co-founding the group’s Women in Tech initiative. She is also a previous recipient of Wacl’s Future Leaders Award.

Dansie said: “Storytelling is such a fundamental part of research — we seek out what we don’t know, and then tell that story in the most compelling way possible. I believe news brands have so many powerful insights to share with our audience of advertisers and agencies so I can’t wait to get stuck in and be part of this industry.”

The trade body has also hired Imogen Power to its insight team who will report into Dansie.

Power has previously held insight roles at Mintel, Kantar and Enders Analysis.