CHICAGO — SymphonyIRI Group Inc. has named Andrew Appel as president and chief executive officer.
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Andrew Appel |
The consumer goods, health care and retail market research firm said Wednesday that Appel succeeds John Freeland, who moves into a new interim role as executive vice chairman and will remain on SymphonyIRI’s board until his retirement later this year.
Appel, who will also serve as a director on the SymphonyIRI board, most recently was senior vice president of revenue operations at Accretive Health.
"I am honored to join such a highly regarded organization with a rich heritage of innovation and excellence," Appel said in a statement. "It is a very exciting time at SymphonyIRI. I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues to deliver industry-leading analysis and insights to our clients."
Appel has held a range of senior leadership positions at Chicago-based professional service firms. As chief operating officer at Aon, he developed and implemented a successful revenue growth plan for the company and led the team responsible for the $5 billion acquisition of Hewitt, solidifying Aon’s leading position in human resource consulting and outsourcing, according to SymphonyIRI.
Previously, Appel was CEO of two of Aon’s three global divisions: Aon Consulting, a benefits and human resources consulting firm, and Aon Benfield, the world’s largest reinsurance broker. Under his leadership, the divisions achieved operational excellence and improved financial results, SymphonyIRI said.
And before joining Aon, Appel was a senior partner at McKinsey & Co., where during a 15-year career, he advised global financial institutions on an array of operational, strategic and organizational issues.
"We are extremely pleased to have Andrew join SymphonyIRI to lead this next phase of our growth," stated Lawrence Benjamin, chairman of SymphonyIRI. "He brings to SymphonyIRI a strong track record leading global professional service organizations and deep experience in technology and operational excellence."
