Established in 2003, Environics Analytics has quickly grown to become Canada’s premier marketing and analytical services company, and is now the largest supplier of data in the country. Our Toronto-based staff includes the most experienced professionals in the industry. We also collaborate with many leading information and technology providers in the U.S., including Experian, Nielsen, Synergos, Alteryx, BlueKai, Buxton, TomTom and 80/20 Solutions. As a member of the Environics group of companies, we are part of a unique alliance dedicated to providing intelligent research, analytics, consulting, sales training, public relations and communications services.
- Senior Management
- Industry Practices
- Custom Research
- Standard Data
- Software Development
- Marketing
- Strategic Partnerships
Founder and President of Environics Analytics, Jan Kestle has been a leader in the marketing information industry for nearly forty years. An expert in using statistics and mathematics to help solve business challenges, she has worked with hundreds of clients in all industries to help them find and serve their customers. In November 2003, she founded Environics Analytics, in partnership with the Environics group of companies, establishing a new marketing and analytical services company based in Toronto. She has since directed the initiatives creating the pioneering PRIZM CE, PRIZM C2 and PRIZM QC segmentation systems that combine geodemographics with psychographic Social Values to classify consumers by both their mindset and marketplace behaviour. In addition, she oversaw the development of a number of innovative marketing products by EA research and development teams, including WealthScapes, GreenScapes, ENVISION and the Diversity Micromarketing Toolkit. Prior to founding EA, Jan was president of Compusearch and spent 19 years at the Ontario Statistical Centre, where she developed an expertise in the Canadian census and its applications in marketing and social research. She is the recipient of a Bachelor of Science degree in applied mathematics from the University of Western Ontario.
As a Senior Vice President and the Chief Methodologist at Environics Analytics, Anthony Lea, Ph.D., oversees all research and development initiatives, population estimates and projections, and site evaluation models. An internationally recognized leader in geodemographics and marketing research, he provided methodological guidance in the development of PRIZM C2, led the development of EA’s WealthScapes product and, during his thirty-year career, directed hundreds of socioeconomic, demographic, marketing analysis and research projects. Prior to joining EA, Tony was Senior Research Associate with the Centre for the Study of Commercial Activity at Ryerson University, Managing Director of MapInfo Canada and Senior Vice President of Compusearch. He has taught geography and quantitative methods at the University of Minnesota, University of Toronto and Queen’s University. In addition, he continues to serve as an adjunct professor with both the School of Applied Geography at Ryerson University and the Department of Geography at the University of Toronto. The recipient of master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Toronto, Tony was recognized for his career contributions to business research with the 2001 Award for Geography in the Service of Government and Business from the Canadian Association of Geographers.
One of Canada’s leading experts on the Census, Doug Norris, Ph.D., is a Senior Vice President and Chief Demographer at Environics Analytics. He joined EA in 2006 after nearly 30 years with Statistics Canada, where he earned the nickname of “Mr. Census” in his role as Director General of Social and Demographic Statistics. Currently, he assists companies, government agencies and not-for-profit organizations in using census and other statistical information for planning and marketing projects. And he frequently writes articles and delivers speeches on demographics, immigration, ethnicity and the family. An adjunct professor at Carleton University and the University of Alberta, he serves on several steering committees related to the use and development of social data. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from McGill University and a Ph.D. in biostatistics and demography from Johns Hopkins University. In 2006, Statistics Canada honoured him with a lifetime achievement Award for Career Excellence in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the agency. That same year, the Canadian Population Society also awarded Doug a Lifetime Achievement Award for “Outstanding Contributions to Canadian Demography.”
Catherine Pearson is Vice President and Practice Leader for the finance, insurance, travel and telecommunications industries team. With nearly 20 years of sales and account management experience, she provides companies with extensive consulting and applications support to implement their marketing programs and custom modelling solutions. A frequent speaker at conferences sponsored by industry and trade groups, she earned an honours degree in business from the University of Windsor and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Western Ontario.
As Vice President and Practice Leader for the media, retail, real estate and manufacturing and real estate industries team, Michele Sexsmith oversees a range of client projects, from helping retailers determine the best sites for opening stores to developing the optimum media mix for reaching targeted customers and identifying the most promising growth opportunities for residential developers. With over 25 years of experience in geodemography and market research, Michele holds a Canadian Market Research Professional designation, a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hamilton College and a master’s degree in education from Nipissing University.
Rupen Seoni is Vice President and Practice Leader for the consumer packaged goods, automotive, federal and provincial government, health care and not-for-profit sectors team. He brings to the position more than 14 years of experience in geodemographics, both as a supplier and a user, and he served as an advisor on the development of PRIZM C2 and PRIZM QC. He specializes in helping private- and public-sector organizations understand population trends, segmentation and performance benchmarking. Having worked for financial, packaged goods and retail companies, Rupen has broad industry experience and holds a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Toronto.
As Vice President and Practice Leader overseeing the municipal government and fundraising sectors team, Peter Baker helps clients utilize company products and services to develop smarter and more effective target-marketing programs. The recipient of a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Waterloo, he has given presentations at national and international conferences on GIS and Canadian geodemographic issues.
As Vice President of Custom Research, Danny Heuman oversees the creation of high-quality geodemographic products for corporate, government and not-for-profit clients. An expert in market analytics and modelling, he led the development of EA’s popular PRIZM C2 and PRIZM QC segmentation systems. He also was the lead developer of PRIZM CE, conducting the innovative research that integrated psychographic Social Values with geodemographics for the groundbreaking segmentation system. In addition, Danny has built a variety of desktop and online site evaluation models for restaurants, retail stores, financial institutions and government agencies. After earning a master’s degree in geography from York University, he worked at Compusearch/MapInfo, where he built complex models used in site selection, database marketing, consumer behaviour and target marketing.
Tom Montpool is Director of the Standard Data team, responsible for packaging and distributing all EA products, maintaining current data assets and assisting with marketing material and documentation. With nearly a decade of experience in the geodemographic industry, he is a recognized expert in data management and modelling for complex site selection, database marketing, consumer behaviour and target marketing. He has previously worked as a research analyst and product manager, and has managed custom research projects for clients ranging from retail banks to not-for-profits. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geography from Queen’s University and the University of Waterloo, respectively.
The Vice President of Software Development, Gary Wood leads the team that developed ENVISION, EA’s powerful new online micromarketing tool. An accomplished software developer and the chief architect in the 1990s of Compusearch’s MarketMath™ and Zephyr™ desktop systems, he has a broad background in graphic arts, geodemography, market analytics and statistical analysis. His recent accomplishments include creation of a software application that helps banks consolidate their retail branches by calculating the effect of one closure on neighbouring branches. Gary earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from the University of Western Ontario.
A Senior Developer for Environics Analytics, Tony Bursey is a veteran software designer and developer with more than 15 years of experience in geodemography, market analytics and statistical analysis. At EA, he helps develop micromarketing applications, including the groundbreaking ENVISION, and online tools for delivering census data among other information products. Prior to joining the company, he served as manager of new product development at MapFusion and director of website and Internet development at Compusearch. Tony holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in applied geography from Ryerson University, where he specialized in location analysis.
As a Senior Developer with Environics Analytics, Andrew Schuster provides custom solutions to business challenges based on spatial analysis. Experienced in both public- and private-sector projects, he creates software to profile customers, geocode databases, conduct trade area studies and facilitate response analyses. In addition, he’s a part of the ENVISION development team, focusing on the tool’s back-end design and reporting system. With more than eight years of experience working with GIS software, Andrew holds a master’s degree in spatial analysis from Ryerson University, bachelor’s degrees in geomatics and urban studies from Wilfred Laurier University and an advanced diploma in GIS from the Centre of Geographic Sciences.
Jason Dunkel is Product Manager of ENVISION, EA’s web-based platform for consumer insights and market analysis, and is responsible for developing applications and reports for customer solutions. As a programmer, he assisted in the development of ENVISION and continues to provide custom solutions to clients’ marketing challenges. In addition, he oversees EA’s Quality Assessment Team and manages the ongoing enhancements to ENVISION based on input from clients and client advocates. A graduate of Queen’s School of Business, he holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with first-class honours in marketing.
The Vice President of Marketing, Michael J. Weiss is responsible for increasing the awareness of Environics Analytics through media and marketing initiatives. An internationally known expert in geodemographics, he directed the naming and imaging of the PRIZM C2 and PRIZM CE clusters, and he has written numerous articles, ads and data descriptions for EA products and services. As a U.S.-based writer, he helped create a number of consumer segmentation systems and authored three books on the subject: The Clustered World, Latitudes & Attitudes and The Clustering of America. Michael received a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and was awarded a Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in economics and business journalism.
As the Director of Interactive Marketing, Jack DePoe is responsible for administering and enhancing Environics Analytics’ presence in the digital world. Through social media, Web and other mobile channels, he ensures that EA’s message is delivered to the largest possible audience in real time, putting the right information in the hands of those who need it quickly and efficiently. Prior to joining EA, Jack worked in sales and marketing in the tourism industry and held marketing positions with travel and media companies in Mexico. He studied languages at the University of British Columbia and York University, and is fluent in Spanish, French and Italian.
Marketing Manager Julia Vasilev implements all aspects of Environics Analytics’ marketing, advertising and promotional strategies. She coordinates staff participation in trade conferences and shows—including EA’s own annual user conference—oversees production of marketing materials to support EA products and services and helps create and distribute communications materials to customers and members of the press. Prior to joining EA, Julia worked in sales, marketing and management for fashion retailer Le Château. She earned an advanced diploma from George Brown College and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in business management from Ryerson University with a focus on marketing management and business law.
As Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Nigel Pleasants is responsible for developing new data supplier and distribution partnerships for Environics Analytics. A veteran advertising executive, Pleasants has more than twenty years of experience in the ad agency business, with assignments in London, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and Montreal. For seven years, he was Director of Marketing and Readership Development at The Globe and Mail. During the past decade, he owned and operated Sal-Mark Inc., a company that provides consulting and business development, and worked as Vice President of Marketing at Manifold Data Mining. Active in industry trade associations, he has served as Chairman of the Broadcast Research Council and Director of the Canadian Advertising Research Federation.
