Management Team

Dr. Romesh Wadhwani is the chairman and owner of Information Resources, Inc. (IRI).

Dr. Wadhwani is also founder and managing partner of Symphony Technology Group, a strategic holding company that helps a portfolio of companies, including IRI, maximize operational efficiencies in the enterprise software and services market. Dr. Wadhwani was the founder and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Aspect Development, Inc., until the company was purchased by i2 Technologies in 1999, when he became the vice chairman of i2 Technologies and a member of the i2 board of directors. During the past nine years, Dr. Wadhwani spearheaded the emergence of Aspect as a leader in the fast-growing B2B e-commerce arena. This dominance led to Aspect's merger with i2--the largest merger in software history.

In addition, Dr. Wadhwani was chairman and CEO of Cimflex Teknowledge Corporation, a company specializing in products and systems for computer-integrated manufacturing. Prior to that, he was chairman and CEO of a company specializing in information systems for energy management.

Dr. Wadhwani received his bachelor’s degree from IIT Bombay and his master’s and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University. He has also served as director on the boards of several companies and organizations.

John Freeland is president and chief executive officer of Information Resources, Inc. (IRI). Freeland joined IRI in October 2007.  He is responsible for executing IRI’s strategy to be the indispensable strategic partner in driving dramatic revenue and productivity improvements for the Company’s CPG, retail and healthcare clients through integrated market, consumer and shopper intelligence, predictive insights, disruptive technology and breakthrough business decision solutions.

Freeland possesses more than 28 years of experience in achieving superior financial results based on client value creation.  Before joining IRI, he served as president-worldwide operations for Salesforce.com, a pioneering leader in the software-as-a-service arena. At Salesforce.com, Freeland was responsible for the company's Successforce portfolio of services and business alliances.

Prior to joining Salesforce.com, Freeland served as a member of Accenture’s executive committee during his successful 26 year career there.  As the head of Accenture's customer relationship management (CRM) practice, Freeland built the business from $1.2 billion to $3.7 billion over five years, creating the largest business consulting service line at the company. Prior to his work in CRM, Freeland spent 20 years in the financial services arena and served as managing partner for the global insurance practice, achieving $ 800 million in annual sales.

Freeland holds a bachelor of arts degree and a master of business administration from Columbia University.

As the chief financial officer (CFO) for Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), Mike Duffey is responsible for fiscal balance and operational growth during the company’s transformation period and beyond.

Duffey is a seasoned financial leader and has several years of industry experience in professional services, manufacturing, distribution, communications and banking. He is a creative, performance-driven leader, who focuses on applying leading-edge financial techniques to meet operational needs and enhance competitive positioning in domestic and international markets.

Before joining IRI, Duffey was the executive vice president and CFO of COVANSYS, a $400 million global information technology services provider. During his time with COVANSYS, he upgraded internal infrastructure through the implementation of SAP in India, crafted the implementation of Hyperion planning, forecasting and consolidation modules for global planning and reporting. He also was responsible for the execution of a four corner redundant data center and communications configuration.

In addition, he served as senior vice president and CFO for APW, Ltd. and M.A. HANNA COMPANY. He began his accounting career at Price Waterhouse.

Duffey holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Loyola University of Chicago. He also earned his master’s degree in economics, finance, and international business from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Jane Altobelli is the executive vice president and chief people officer of human resources for Information Resources, Inc. (IRI). Continuing the company’s efforts in building a high-performance culture, Altobelli is responsible for global human resources efforts, talent and performance management, organizational change efforts, staffing, benefits and compensation.

Prior to joining IRI, Altobelli was senior vice president at Culligan International, a consumer products company that provides water treatment services and solutions. Prior to Culligan, she held a number of human resources executive positions with the premier provider of print and related services, RR Donnelley, where she led organizational development, talent and performance management in her various roles.

In addition to her human resources background, Altobelli has led transformational change efforts, aligning a company’s strategy, structure and culture. She has also implemented human resources strategies across Europe, Asia and South America. Her global and transformational change work has been featured in such publications as Newsweek, Chicago Tribune and Crain’s Chicago Business.

Altobelli earned a master’s degree in industrial relations and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota.

Nigel Howlett is President of IRI International.  In this role, Nigel is focused on continuing to aggressively grow the market content, solutions and technology businesses throughout IRI’s international operations as well as expand the company’s international innovation practice.

Prior to IRI, Howlett was previously Executive Vice President (global) at OgilvyOne Worldwide and a member of the company’s board of directors. At OgilvyOne, he was responsible for the company’s Global Consulting Practice, which included building global alliances and partnerships, acquisitions, attracting significant new consulting engagements, and tailoring the firm’s services to its international clients.  In this role, Howlett more than tripled the size of the firm’s consulting operation during the last four years. Major contracts signings under his leadership included international assignments with Nestle and Unilever.  He was also responsible for creating a global consulting alliance with IBM and launching a global E-mail Marketing and Digital Dialogue Practice across three continents.

Howlett started with OgilvyOne Worldwide in 1991 as managing director of Ogilvy & Mather DataConsult. He became chairman and CEO of OgilvyOne U.K. in 1996 and was named to his latest position in 2003.  Before OgilvyOne, he served as client services director at The Computing Group from 1988 to 1991.  

Howlett began his career at GKN plc, earning a university scholarship in 1976 prior to graduating in 1980 with roles in sales as a special projects team member. He later served as a product manager and group product manager (1982 to 1984), marketing manager (1984 to1985), and finally, group head of marketing, GKN Vending Services (1985 to1987). 

Howlett earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in business and marketing from UWE Bristol.

As Executive Vice President of Strategic Sales North America and General Manager of the Beer, Wine and Spirits Practice, Mike Kaskie leads the teams that provide clients access to unique IRI products and services to grow their businesses and improve their return on investment.  Mike’s responsibilities span sales and solution effectiveness and driving engagement excellence across all clients.  Additionally, Kaskie is focused on accelerating the continued success of IRI’s industry-leading Beer, Wine, and Spirits Practice.

Prior to his current role, Kaskie led IRI’s Strategic Solutions Group.  During that time, Kaskie and his team successfully acquired more than $300 million of strategic new business for IRI.  Central to this new business success was aligning IRI’s portfolio of solutions and business experts with client business issues to drive insights and increase client value.  This group also enabled smooth and seamless transitions to new data sources by utilizing an innovative patent-pending methodology, developed by Kaskie, to implement new business transitions.

Kaskie has more than 20 years of experience in sales and marketing, working with many of the world’s premier consumer products companies.  Offering a broad spectrum of marketing and sales domain expertise spanning direct sales, broker, and direct store delivery (DSD) organizations, Kaskie brings to IRI innovative sales management and revenue development approaches, proven trade promotion planning and implementation strategies, and creative merchandising concepts that drive maximum return.

Before joining IRI in 1999, Kaskie led sales of the Tampico Juice Drink brand in the United States for Marbo, Inc.  In addition, he held senior-level brand, market development and sales positions at the G. Heilman Brewing Company and sales leadership positions at ConAgra Frozen Foods, where he managed $325 million in frozen and grocery food products.  During his career, Kaskie has also held senior-level sales positions with such leading companies as Nestle Foods, Coca-Cola Foods and the Procter & Gamble Company.

He is a graduate of the Advanced Executive Program at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management and also holds a bachelor of science degree in business from the University of Tulsa.

 

Mahinder Mathrani is a 15-year veteran of Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), where he has held a variety of strategic roles ranging from client services, sales and delivery operations to technology marketing and consulting. In his current position as president of the IRI Global Operating Center in Bangalore, India, Mathrani is responsible for supporting IRI content, analytics and technology businesses and oversees more than1,000 employees.

As a global business executive having lived and worked in the United States, Europe and India, Mathrani has demonstrated expertise in the areas of information technology and analytics in the CPG/FMCG industry. He is a customer-focused, results-oriented executive who is adept at identifying user needs, formulating out-of-the-box solutions and delivering quantifiable business results.

Prior to joining IRI, Mathrani had more than 10 years of diverse international business experience. He was vice president and senior product manager of database marketing services at Citicorp POS Information Services, where he held product management, systems development and implementation responsibilities for targeted consumer promotion testing and evaluation services. In addition, he has held senior level executive positions for SAMI/Burke and the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in the United States and was with Sabroe/Atlas and Veringten Glaswerke in Europe.

Mathrani earned a bachelor of technology degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi, India. He received his master’s of business administration degree in general management with an emphasis in finance and operations research from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Mark Parise, president of the newly formed IRI Market Information Group, is responsible for the global market information business in the United States and Europe as well as coordinating IRI’s international partnerships.

Parise, who has previously served as president of IRI International, residing in the U.K., and president of IRI Global Content Operations, returned to IRI in 2006 after serving as president of Experian Marketing Services. He has more than 25 years of experience with world-class companies, including General Electric and Chase Manhattan.

During his career at IRI, Parise successfully led the company’s operations transformation and launched the Global Operating Center. He was also responsible for the IRI Panel and Consumer Insights business, the Technology Marketing and Consulting business, the In-store Solutions business, the global operations and technology groups and global product management groups.

At GE Capital, Parise served as the auto financial services operations executive of the company’s $12 billion global business. In addition, he held general management positions in GE Capital Auto Leasing and its AAFC business. As senior marketing executive of Chase Manhattan, he designed the business strategy and implemented the marketing and product strategy that drove its auto financial services business from start up to more than $16 billion in annual sales.

As president of innovation and consulting for Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), Thom Blischok leads the company’s strategic consulting, thought leadership, innovation and marketing practices. A seasoned executive bringing more than 25 years of industry expertise to this role, Blischok is focused on generating even further growth for the CPG and retail consulting practices at IRI.

Blischok is the former chairman and chief executive officer of MindMeld, Inc., an Arizona-based "transformation through technology" consulting group. MindMeld is recognized for its thought leadership in successfully applying large-scale relational database technology to a number of leading retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Kmart, 7-Eleven and others.

Prior to founding MindMeld, he was executive vice president and group executive of Equifax Knowledge Engineering, the global customer relationship management division of Equifax. He has also held senior-level positions at several of the world’s most successful companies, including global chairman of the retail and distribution practice at Coopers and Lybrand Consulting; vice president and chief business scientist of AT&T Global Information Solutions; vice president, industry consulting for Teradata; and vice president, global consulting with ATT/GIS.

A recognized futurist and retail thought leader, Blischok is known around the globe for his innovative thinking and strategies to help retailers fundamentally transform their go-to-market economic models using innovative approaches to understanding the consumer with new forms of marketplace information.

Blischok holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix. He has been frequently published and speaks around the world on the future of retailing.

Thomas E. Peterson is President of Global Retail for Information Resources, Inc. Continuing IRI’s strong growth and Retail Practice momentum, Tom is focused on defining and shaping advanced retail industry solutions and services and go-to-market strategies for IRI. Prior to IRI, Peterson was General Manager of IBM’s Consumer Products Industry business. He brings more than 25 years of experience coordinating and marketing IBM’s valued services and technology solutions to consumer products companies. In his most recent position, he held P&L responsibility for a rapidly expanding $2 billion business within IBM. Among IBM’s CPG customers include The Coca-Cola Company, Kraft/Phillip Morris, Pepsi, Procter and Gamble, and Unilever.

Prior to becoming General Manager of the Consumer Products Industry business, Peterson served from 2000 to 2005 as Worldwide General Manager of IBM’s Retail Store Solutions Division, responsible for manufacturing, development, sales, marketing and operations for IBM’s portfolio of total store solutions. During his tenure, the business grew from $800 million to $1.2 billion in revenues.

From 1978 to 2000, Peterson held multiple sales, marketing, general management and business operations positions within IBM. These included Worldwide General Manager, IBM Computer Services Industry (1999 to 2000); Vice President of Sales and marketing, IBM Americas Group, Retail Sector (1997 to 1999); IBM Director and Retail Industry Segment Manager, North America (1995 to 1997); IBM business Unit Executive and Brand Manager, Retail (1990 to 1995) in addition to several other positions.

Peterson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Minnesota and an advanced management degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.

Bernhard Nann leads IRI’s technology operations and focuses on generating value from existing and new technology solutions, ensuring client satisfaction with technology deliverables and strengthening technology alliances.

Nann, who has more than 20 years of experience, has a wealth of technology expertise in the areas of integrated technology, product management, operations and implementation.

Most recently, Nann was senior vice president and chief technology officer for Fair Isaac (NYSE:FIC). Nann joined Fair Isaac in 2003 after the company purchased NAREX, founded by Nann in 1995.  At Fair Isaac, he held numerous positions during his five year tenure there, starting as vice president, collections and recovery analytics solutions and ending with his current position as senior vice president and chief technology officer.

Nann founded NAREX in 1995 and developed highly-innovative analytics and collection agency placement management platform products and a proprietary artificial intelligence-based scoring and optimization technology. Before founding NAREX, he held several positions at TRW Inc. 

Nann earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical and industrial engineering from Universitaet Stuttgart in Germany. He also earned his M.B.A. from The Ohio State University.

President, Consumer and Shopper Insights

As president of IRI’s Consumer and Shopper Insights practice, Robert Tomei overseas growth, development and management of the company’s Panel, Testing and Loyalty businesses.

Tomei is a recognized industry luminary and market research veteran with more than 25 years of experience in the CPG industry.  He has a distinguished track record in general management, global marketing, developing innovative client solutions and creating strategic partnerships to drive profitable revenue growth, both in the United States and internationally.

Joining IRI from TNS, a leading global market insight and information group, Tomei served as president, TNS-U.S. Areas of Expertise & Marketing and global head of TNS’ 6th Dimension Access Panels. In this role, he oversaw Brand and Communications, Product Development and Innovation, Stakeholder Management, and Retail and Shopper Insights practices. In addition, he managed and directed TNS’ online access panels in the U.S. and internationally.

Prior to his tenure at TNS, Tomei spent 13 years at ACNielsen, leaving the firm as president of Nielsen’s Homescan consumer panel business.  At ACNielsen, he drove the development and management of its consumer purchase panel in the United States and led product and service innovations around consumer and shopper insight applications.  Earlier in his career at ACNielsen, Tomei served in a variety of senior-level positions at ACNielsen-VNU, including chief marketing officer for the VNU Marketing Information Group and senior vice president for ACNielsen-U.S. Product Management and Marketing organization.

Before ACNielsen, Tomei held senior-level marketing positions at Bristol-Myers and Philip Morris USA. 

Tomei earned his master’s degree in business administration/social sciences at the University of Chicago and his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Fordham University. He is also the founder and acting chairperson of the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) Online Research Quality Council.

Executive Vice President, Modeling and Analytic Solutions
Patrick Cummings is executive vice president, Modeling and Analytic Solutions. He is a 22-year veteran of the products and service industries and has a long history of bringing innovation and growth to sales and marketing organizations both inside and outside of CPG.
 
Prior to joining IRI, Cummings was a partner and the managing director for Accenture Marketing Sciences in North America, where during his three-and-a-half-year tenure, he grew its analytics practice significantly year over year. Working with global operations teams, he enabled the growth of a very successful off-shore and near-shore team as well as the development and assimilation of processes that resulted in highly-scalable, global analytic solutions.

He also played senior leadership roles in sales, technology and solution development within the Marketing Resource Management space while working for technology start-up companies, Meadwestvaco – Paxonix, Inc. and Emmperative, Inc./Magnifi, Inc., and has held leadership positions in sales, business and solution development and marketing during his career with such companies as Ocean Spray Cranberries, Alpo Petfoods, The New Era Beverage Company and Johnson & Johnson.

Cummings earned his bachelor of business administration degree in management information systems from the University of Notre Dame.