Needham will oversee Empathica’s global expansion and further develop strategic relationships that emphasize the company’s commitment to leading Customer Experience Management solutions.
Alpharetta, Georgia, United States – June 2, 2009 – Empathica Inc., a leading provider of Customer Experience Management (CEM) solutions to some of the world’s most respected brands, announced today that it has named Mr. Andrew Needham as Senior Director of Sales and Business Development. Needham will be based out of Empathica’s U.S. office, located in the North American Center of Retail Excellence in Alpharetta, GA
In the new position, Needham will be responsible for continuing to expand the global reach of Empathica by driving the company’s growth, further developing Empathica’s strategic alliance relationships, and maintaining Empathica’s role as the industry-leading innovator of CEM best practices.
“Empathica will leverage Andi’s expertise to drive further retail market share for the Empathica offerings, similar to what we’ve accomplished in the Food Service and Financial Services sectors,” said Mike Amos, CEO & President of Empathica. “Over the past 20 years, he has been in a unique position to gain extensive experience working with many of the world’s largest retail and hospitality companies, and is well positioned to bring those skills to Empathica.”
Needham joins Empathica from Workbrain (A division of Infor), where he spent the last five years creating and executing the overall retail and hospitality strategy as the Senior Director of Industry Solutions. Prior to Infor, Needham has managed a wide range of businesses, from his own consulting company, a venture capital-based HCM start-up in Paris, to large global companies such as Hewlett Packard.
Prior to moving from England to the U.S. in 1996, Needham also gained more than 10 years of direct retail operations management experience at J. Sainsbury’s Supermarkets. As a key part of store management, Needham later took on a corporate role where he helped launch the U.K.’s first online card-based loyalty program.
“I’m very excited to join Empathica and the Customer Experience Management space at this time, especially in retail. Coming from a Human Capital Management (HCM) background, I have seen how retailers invest in all aspects of the customer experience from the people, technology and merchandising side,” said Needham. “Empathica has a comprehensive approach to refine those strategies by bridging the knowledge gap with unique customer insight about the entire brand experience. The feedback gained through new data collection and analytical technologies couldn’t have come at a better time for retailers as they struggle to drive revenues and deliver exceptional service.”