Applied Marketing Science, Inc. (AMS) is announcing the retirement of vice chairman, Gerry Katz. Katz has been an instrumental leader of the firm for more than 25 years.
Gerry Katz is a recognized authority in the fields of market research and new product development. He joined AMS in 1992. Working with co-founders Robert Klein and John Hauser, Katz established the firm’s Insights for Innovation Practice and pioneered the commercialization of the field now known as Voice of the Customer (VOC) market research. Katz worked to develop and perfect innovation research offerings such as VOCALYST® and IDEALYST®. He refined Quality Function Deployment (QFD) into a practical tool, helping hundreds of teams to translate VOC insights into winning new products and services.
Katz also created AMS’s renowned Voice of the Customer (VOC) training offerings. He has taught thousands of professionals around the globe about the theory and practice of VOC and other leading innovation research methods. He established and cemented AMS’s reputation as capable coaches and expert instructors.
During his time at AMS, Katz served dozens of the firm’s marquee clients across diverse industries including business-to-business products and services, industrial manufacturers, financial services, medical devices and consumer products. He was particularly instrumental in leading engagements to support electric utility companies after deregulation in the mid- to late 1990’s. Many of Katz’s clients are still working with Applied Marketing Science years later, a testament to his work and industry reputation.
Katz has been a perennial contributor to the market research industry. Over the years, he has participated in nearly 100 industry conferences—most notably as chair of the Product Development and Management Association’s (PDMA) annual Voice of the Customer conference—offering workshops, presenting new methods, and highlighting our client successes.
For 9 years he served on the PDMA board, chairing its Body of Knowledge committee. He has written numerous articles for PDMA Visions, Quirk’s Marketing Research
Review, and other industry and academic publications, and has contributed chapters to text books on product development, helping cement Applied Marketing Science’s reputation as a respected and influential leader in the world of market research and innovation.
Lastly, Katz has been a tremendous mentor to many of his colleagues at Applied Marketing Science. His impact has been far-reaching, and Applied Marketing Science thanks him for his invaluable contributions to the firm.
“On behalf of everyone at AMS, I thank Gerry for all he has done for our company and for our field over his nearly 30-year career with us. His pioneering efforts in Voice of the Customer research and his extensive work as instructor and coach have established AMS’s methods as a best practice at many of the world’s leading companies, and have led to countless innovation successes for our clients. At the same time, he has led the mentoring of a new generation of leadership at AMS—Kristyn Corrigan, Carmel Dibner, Andrea Ruttenberg,
Patricia Yanes, and me—who all have been instrumental in broadening our client base and fueling our sustained growth. We are all indebted to Gerry for his contributions and, though bittersweet, we wish him a happy and well-deserved retirement.” said AMS President John Mitchell.
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