Meet our team

Alpa A Virdi, Director

After graduating in Economics from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Alpa established the in-house market research function at a flagship college in London. At BMRB International and subsequently Harris Interactive Europe, Alpa built on her passion for market research by managing global corporate customer satisfaction and loyalty programmes for blue chip clients, as well as delivering tailored research to commercial and not-for-profit organisations. She was also an internal auditor for ISO accreditation at BMRB.

In 2003 Alpa joined the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) to establish a new role as manager of business research, which supported and informed a multitude of strategic and tactical activities. These included thought leadership, revenue-generating business partnerships and products, press and public relations, new product development, marketing, attitudes and opinions on public policy, the economy and enterprise issues. In 2009 Alpa established Spotlight Market Research & Editing to deliver relevant, high quality market research projects, holistic data analysis and story-led reporting to professional membership organisations and service providers.

As an ESOMAR Member, Alpa complies with the ICC/ESOMAR CODE and ESOMAR WORLD RESEARCH GUIDELINES.

Our Trusted Partner Network

We have international and full-service capabilities through our highly experienced Trusted Partner Network of companies and individual associates who provide high quality business services in the UK and globally. Each of our partners has been vetted for the quality of their products and service levels, value for money and specialist knowledge.
 

Sally Percy, Editor & Journalist

Sally Percy is one of the UK’s top accountancy and finance journalists. From 2008 until 2012 she was editor of Accountancy magazine, then the official journal of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. In 2011, Accountancy was shortlisted for best monthly business magazine at the annual Periodical Publishers Association awards, the most prestigious awards ceremony in the UK magazine industry, and Sally herself was previously shortlisted for the best new business features writer award at the 2006 Periodicals Training Council awards. She has written stories that have been covered by the Financial Times and she has been quoted in City AM and the Money section of The Sunday Times. During her career, Sally has also written on a range of subjects including English craftsmanship, age discrimination, home design and decor and farming for a number of publications including Antiques Trade Gazette, Payroll Manager’s Review and a daily newspaper in New Zealand. Sally is a member of the British Society of Magazine Editors. Prior to becoming a journalist, Sally worked as a management consultant for Accenture. She has a BA in Modern History from the University of Oxford.

Melissa Compton-Edwards, Media Relations & Comms Strategist

Melissa is a former journalist who specialises in issue-led media relations. She has considerable experience of building the communications function from scratch and of strategically growing an established outfit. As Head of Media Relations at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (2000 - 2005) she positioned the Institute as an authoritative commentator on business issues and successfully promoted the launch of a quarterly UK business confidence monitor.

Melissa has managed media relations at many high-profile events, including Europe’s largest management conference hosted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).  In her role heading up media relations for the CIPD (1994 - 1999) and then later as a freelance consultant to the Institute, Melissa authored and publicised survey reports on a number of work-related issues, such as the impact of working long hours on relationships, and age discrimination. She is an experienced spokesperson on employment and management issues, having appeared on national and regional TV and radio.

During her time as Communications Manager at the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex (1999-2000), Melissa created a new corporate identity for the Institute and achieved positive media coverage for its research output.  Prior to working in communications, Melissa spent four years as an editor and news editor of legal, financial and training magazines.  She has a BA Hons in English and Theatre Studies from the University of Warwick.

Annik Technology Systems, Global Research Partner

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Lydia Wanstall, Proofreader

Lydia is an experienced proofreader and copy-editor with an aptitude for producing accurate and readable text. She has worked with a wide range of clients, including commercial businesses, not-for-profit organisations and NGOs, university researchers and publishers. She offers efficient turnaround to tight deadlines and working on non-native English copy is one of her specialities.

Lydia is a member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) and has an MA in Shakespeare Studies (Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham), and a BA in English Literature (UCL). Before focusing full time on editing she gained several years' experience in the service sector, achieving a senior management position. Her duties included preparing, editing and proofreading communications such as CVs, advertisements, marketing literature, promotional material and presentations.