TowerGroup today announced the appointment of Maureen Hesney as senior vice president of Research & Consulting Services. In her new role, Hesney will oversee research and consulting operations across the full spectrum of the company’s North American business. She will report directly to TowerGroup president and CEO, Mark Sievewright.
Among her responsibilities, Hesney is charged with fuelling growth and developing stronger synergies between the TowerGroup research and consulting teams. Reporting to Hesney will be: James Eckenrode, newly-appointed vice president of Consumer and Small Business Banking; Robert Hegarty, vice president of Securities & Investments; Lee Kidder, research director of Wholesale Banking; Gregg Kobelski, partner-in-charge of Consulting Services (North America); Guillermo Kopp, research director of Financial Services Strategies & IT Investments and Emerging Technologies; David Medeiros, research director of Global Payments; Deborah Smallwood, practice leader of Insurance; and Karen Fay, manager of Editorial Services.
“Maureen’s success in business and team building at Gartner Group and throughout her career makes her uniquely qualified to take on a role here that demands both strategic insight and operational excellence,” said Sievewright. “I am very confident that Maureen’s proven leadership abilities will be invaluable to TowerGroup as we seek to build on our leadership position within the financial services research and advisory sector.”
He added, “The arrival of Maureen puts the finishing touches on what I believe is simply the strongest research and consulting organization in the financial services industry. The leadership team now in place will propel our growth and serve as the platform from which to provide the greatest possible value to our clients.”
Hesney comes to TowerGroup with experience of building and managing global IT research and consulting businesses, as well as expertise in the area of insurance systems application development. As senior vice president for Gartner Group, Worldwide Technology Marketplace Consulting, she grew the consulting business from $15 million to $50 million in revenue in less than two years and served as the “deal-maker” for a $20 million acquisition. She simultaneously managed more than 300 employees in 10 offices in Asia, Europe and the U.S. and established global strategies for acquisitions, pricing, marketing, sales, professional staffing and training, lead management and intellectual capital. Prior to Gartner, Ms. Hesney spent more than 20 years in senior IT management positions within the insurance industry, working at Travelers Insurance Company and Vantage Computer Systems. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Central Connecticut State University, and completed the Advanced Management Program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.