Over almost 30 years, Jan developed unique skills to uncover deep business insights.
As a classically trained researcher, starting his career as an interviewer, working through operations and research roles, he is a generalist of note.
A multi award-winning researcher with published articles and industry governance contributions, Jan has developed business solutions for his clients that are both insightful and cost-effective.
Geographically, Jan worked on or coordinated projects across 21 countries and five continents. He is a passionate researcher who loves to develop the people he works with but also remain acutely aware of business challenges and how research should support and guide decision-making.
As Chairperson of the Southern African Marketing Research Association (SAMRA) in 2012/2013 and a SAMRA Accredited Researcher (SAR) since 2011, he is well aware of the industry dynamics and code of conduct requirements. Jan also helped to develop the framework for Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) within the research industry.
Considering some of the positions held in the industry:
- Founder and owner of JWRC: Started Jan Wegelin Research Consultancy (JWRC) in 2015 which has successfully completed several projects ranging from the future of fiber networks, development finance business branding and positioning, water conservation practices and planning at municipalities and schools.
- Research and Analytics Director: Overseeing research at African Response most notably as project manager for an entrepreneurial mindset survey which won The GEN Compass Award for Research Champions in Istanbul (2018) for demonstrating scientific rigor to accelerate new firm formations. Jan also won the SAMRA 2018 Annual Conference’s Best Overall Paper and the Kantar Innovation Awards for segmenting the South African nation.
- Director of Hidden Voice: A technology driven research solution.
- Senior Team Leader: Strategically leading and developing a team of 15 researchers and support staff at Kantar. He was also responsible for the Political and Social Research division focusing on the public and financial sectors.
- Best First-Time speaker: Jan was awarded the Best First-time Speaker Award at the 2014 SAMRA Annual Conference for his co-authored paper “If we are good researchers, why should we fear more data?”
- Senior Support Manager (Projects): Leading a team of eight project managers responsible for all ad hoc projects in the Johannesburg office.
- Research Specialist (FMCG): Jan was nominated employee of the year for his statistical analysis on brand positioning, competitor analysis, new product development, line extensions and marketing ROI. He also developed a Big Data multi-facetted dashboard that incorporated all metrics held by the client.
- Research Manager: Of eight researchers focusing on financial, telecommunications, fuels & lubricants, industrial, retail audits, technology as well as employment and customer satisfaction surveys.
- National and International Field Manager: At Wirthlin Europe in Manchester, UK (a subsidiary of Wirthlin Worldwide based in USA) where he was responsible for all UK, European, Middle Eastern and African face-to-face research surveys.
On a personal level, Jan has explored a range of interests over the years, some of which are shared in the link below
