IESE and Intent HQ establish new marketing Chair

The new year at IESE Business School got off to an auspicious start with the creation of the Intent HQ Chair on Changing Consumer Behaviour, the business school’s first Chair dedicated to the marketing sector.

The Chair’s objective, under the guidance of Prof. Jose Luis Nueno, is to position IESE as a leading international center of research into modern consumer trends and behaviour patterns. It will also contribute to the increasingly urgent conversation regarding the new skills required of marketing executives and managers, and help align those with the demands of contemporary, and future, consumers.

The Chair was made possible with the support of Intent HQ, a London-headquartered company founded by IESE GEMBA-03 alumnus Jonathan Lakin. Intent HQ has developed a world-leading privacy-safe Customer Intelligence Platform designed to generate customer foresight that, through an innovative AI and data-driven approach, forecasts evolving consumer trends.

Intent HQ and IESE signed the agreement last week establishing the Chair and a five-year sponsorship agreement. This is the first IESE Chair built in partnership with a GEMBA program alumnus and a British company.

The Intent HQ Chair will revolve around the following main objectives:

• Conduct robust research into consumer behaviour that will serve as a reference point for business managers, entrepreneurs and the public sector.
• Through the accumulated research performed, create teaching tools (e.g. case studies, academic publications, symposiums etc.) that aid executives in aligning their practices with modern, constantly in-flux consumer patterns.
• Provide thought-leadership in the data-driven prediction and influence of consumer behaviours.
• Become a repository of knowledge and point of reference for leading executives.

Prof. Nueno says, “The objective of the Intent HQ Chair in Changing Consumer Behaviour is to advance the knowledge about consumers through best-in-class models and processes based on digitally-acquired mass data, while creating an unparalleled test bench where we will be able to test quantitatively different customer models in real-world-environments.”

Jonathan Lakin added “We are delighted to be working with Prof. Nueno and IESE; the Chair in Changing Consumer Behaviour addresses a very exciting area of business insight development. New technologies, new channels and changing consumer perspectives together create a context in which traditional approaches can become obsolete. At Intent HQ we are excited by the predictive power of data and the ability to add value for consumers through the timely application of insight.

An expert in marketing and distribution

The Intent HQ Chair on Changing Consumer Behavior will be directed by José Luis Nueno, IESE Professor of Marketing. Nueno holds a PhD in Business Administration (Marketing) from Harvard University and an MBA from IESE. His areas of interest include distribution channels and manufacturer-distributor relationships. He has published articles on globalization, consumer and luxury goods marketing and relationship marketing, and published several books about consumer behavior.