Unparalleled Experience Yields Outstanding Results.
Our grasp of your and your industry sector's key strategic issues drives impact as we apply insights to your brand, product development, customer experience and experience design decisions.
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We help our clients by bringing together expertise in brand, innovation and user and customer experience research, along with advanced analytics and insights-based consulting.
We live and breathe our values to deliver only the best for our clients.
Smart and inquisitive
We are curious about the world, our clients, our colleagues and ourselves. We help our clients by asking the right questions and generating insights that move them forward. We think hard and learn in all situations.
Results-oriented
We focus on outcomes – for our clients and their business. We go beyond delivering work to understand the impact it can have. We work efficiently and effectively to drive results.
Client-focused
We have the best interests of our clients in mind, and understand that they are the heart of our business. We respond quickly and effectively to their needs and work to understand the challenges they face. We act ethically in their best interest.
Respectful and team-oriented
We respect our colleagues and our company. We recognize the unique strengths that others bring to the table, work together to deliver results, and share our knowledge and experiences to help all of us grow.
Creative and entrepreneurial
We are creative thinkers, both in meeting client needs and preparing our business for the future. We bring solutions to the table, and seek out new opportunities to benefit our clients and our business.
Meet the Phase 5 team.
Michael Dolenko
Partner, Brand Practice
Michael Dolenko is a Partner and the leader of the Brand practice.
He and his team focus on product and service innovation and studies that support go-to-market initiatives for clients in Canada and the US.
A sought-after moderator and survey researcher for clients in various sectors, Michael has been managing qualitative, quantitative and mixed methodology studies for over 20 years.
Michael holds an MA from Concordia University and a BA from University of Toronto.
Steve Hansen
Partner, Innovation Practice
Steve Hansen is a Partner, the head of the Innovation practice, and leads the firm's Minneapolis office.
Steve enjoys taking a “Zen mind, beginner’s mind” approach to innovation, especially when it has the potential to disrupt a market ecosystem.
His professional background includes: Lecturer in Innovation in the Peking University Guanghua MBA program, Director of Research at Thomson Reuters, and technology product management roles. Steve is regularly invited to speak at industry events on customer centricity. He holds an MBA from University of Minnesota, MA English Language / Linguistics from University of Arizona, and a BA Mathematics from Pomona College.
Andreas H. Noe
Partner, CX Practice
Andreas H. Noe, MBA, is a founding partner of Phase 5 and the head of the Customer Experience Practice.
He has developed particular expertise in CX strategy, metrics and performance measurement, VOC and Customer Experience studies. Andreas brings deep knowledge of research methods and first-hand insight into understanding and managing customer outcomes. He has led professional associations as a board member and president and is a former marketing lecturer at the University of Ottawa.
Arnie Guha
Partner, UX Practice
Arnie Guha, Ph.D., is a Partner and the head of the User Experience Strategy and Design practice.
Arnie loves telling stories and listening to them. He believes that all perception relies on narrative, and that our understanding of the world is dependent on our ability to pick out the threads of a story and to reweave them in interesting and relevant ways.
Arnie was Manager, Market Research, at RBC; intern at the Center of Democracy & Technology, Washington, D.C.; and a Nehru Centenary Scholar at Cambridge University.
Doug Church
Co-Lead, Innovation Practice
Doug Church, MBA, is a founding Partner and Co-Lead of Phase 5's Innovation Practice Group.
Doug loves the intellectual challenge of interpreting data to guide strategic decision-making for clients. He has worked on numerous high-profile initiatives for national and global brands to help identify market opportunities, develop winning solutions and inform go-to-market decisions.
Doug is a member and past-Chair of the Advisory Board of the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University.
Jo-Ann Zettel
General Manager
Jo-Ann Zettel, Honours BMath, is Phase 5’s General Manager.
With 30+ years in the marketing research industry, Jo-Ann was a researcher for the first 15 years of her career, with experience on both sides of the business - buyer and supplier. Taking on the role of General Manager at Phase 5, Jo-Ann earned her Certification in Human Resource Leadership (CHRL) and is dedicated to nurturing an equitable work environment and fostering the smooth operations of Phase 5, in the areas of HR, IT, data security and compliance.
Stephan Sigaud
Chief Marketing Officer
Stephan Sigaud, MBA, is Phase 5's Chief Marketing Officer.
He is passionate about developing partner-type relationships with clients and collaborating with them to address their business challenges and opportunities around customer centricity.
Stephan has held CX and Marketing leadership roles for major global research firms as well as consulting roles with VOC technology firms. He has held a Board roles with the Canadian Chapter of the Insights Association and the Customer Experience Professionals Association and is a member of the CMA's Leaders Network.
Aleta Pleasant
Senior Consultant
Aleta Pleasant is a Senior Consultant at Phase 5.
She holds a Master’s of Science and a BA in Psychology from the University of Guelph, where her research focused on understanding human behavior. She is skilled in both qualitative and quantitative research, and has extensive experience conducting complex statistical analyses and visualizing data.
Aleta is passionate about letting data tell the story, and leveraging these insights to help businesses make decisions. An avid learner and problem solver, she enjoys working with complex data sets and programming, areas in which she continues to build expertise.
Caroline C.
Research Analyst
Caroline Cao is a Research Analyst at Phase 5.
With experience in both agency and corporate settings, Caroline is a market researcher with a quantitative lean. Her work has touched areas including financial service, fast fashion, and research agencies. While Caroline has a genuine appreciation for data, what truly drives her is the opportunity to help clients in making informed decisions. Always eager to learn and grow, Caroline believes in the power of data to provide clarity and direction.
Caroline holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Northwest A&F University in China.
Caroline Davies
Senior Analyst
Caroline Davies is a Senior Analyst at Phase 5.
She has a passion for creative problem solving and identifying market trends through data. She believes that numbers can be used to tell a story.
Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Caroline holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Minnesota.
Celine Huot
UX Manager
Celine Huot, is a UX Manager at Phase 5.
She has a passion for user experience and helping companies across industry sectors identify ways to make their organization more customer-centric. Celine has played a major role in helping some of the top FIs in Canada develop customer journey maps to identify strategic opportunities, while also focusing on design research projects for financial, telecommunications, non-profit & media clients.
Fully bilingual, Celine is an experienced interviewer in both English and French.
Christine Sorensen
Vice President
A Vice President with Phase 5, Christine Sorensen has led dozens of quantitative research projects leveraging online surveys.
She has extensive experience in communications testing and brand assessment and positioning. Christine also frequently leverages her knowledge in advanced analytical techniques such as structural equation modelling, regression analysis, and correspondence analysis.
While she has worked with a wide array of clients representing a range of industry sectors, she has particularly deep experience serving clients in the banking sector.
Colin Anderson
Senior VP
Colin Anderson is Phase 5’s SVP of Experience Strategy.
Colin is an experienced designer, researcher and strategist, specializing in qualitative user research, usability, interactive prototyping and proof-of-concept development. Colin’s portfolio of work spans desktop, web, mobile and connected devices for both the consumer and B2B markets in the financial, media, telecom and technology sectors.
Prior to joining Phase 5, Colin held science and technology leadership roles in the environmental sector, and holds bachelor and master’s degrees in the natural sciences and information studies.
Daniella Eid Tolentino
Research Analyst
Daniella Eid Tolentino is a research analyst at Phase 5.
She carries a strong interest in market research and is passionate about helping clients achieve optimal results through mixed methods of data collection. She enjoys and holds experience in both qualitative and quantitative data, with research interests in both market research and public health.
Daniella has earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Health Policy at the University of Toronto. Rooted in her passion for research, she stemmed into achieving a Graduate Certificate in Research Analysis at Humber College.
Gen Lamorie
Senior VP
Gen Lamorie is a Vice President at Phase 5.
Gen started her career with Phase 5 in 1998 as a Research Analyst and progressed over more than 20 years to her current role as Vice President.
As a senior member of the UX team and hands-on project manager, Gen is involved in all stages of qualitative research studies and her area of practice involves providing strategic consulting advice to support the development and management of her clients’ digital properties in the financial services, telecommunications, media and retail sectors.
Jesse
Senior Research Analyst
A senior research analyst at Phase 5, Jesse works alongside the Customer Experience team. He’s an inquisitive researcher and is published in the Journal of Numerical Cognition.
Jesse’s research focused on the semantic structure of mathematical word problems and how people solve them. He plans on using his knowledge of research practices and statistical analysis to generate impactful insights for Phase 5’s clients.
Jesse graduated from Carleton University with a B.A. in Honours Psychology. He received the Senate medal for academic achievement.
John
Research Analyst
John Pickering is a Research Analyst with Phase 5's Customer Experience team.
John is passionate about all things marketing but more specifically, about finding ways to bridge the gap between companies' products and services, and their customers. He has comprehensive experience analysing both quantitative and qualitative data and putting that data in to actionable results. He has leveraged this knowledge to win the 2021 Michel Cloutier Marketing Competition Award.
John holds a Bachelors of Commerce; Concentration in Marketing from The University of Ottawa.
Josh
Senior Research Analyst
Josh Thompson is a Senior Research Analyst at Phase 5.
He holds a Bachelors in Applied Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and is working towards a Masters in Applied Mathematics.
Josh has experience and a passion for leveraging data to make smart business decisions. He previously worked at a CPG analytics firm, where he supported various companies in data-driven analytics, as well as a national medical clinic working with health-focused data.
Louis
Vice President
Louis Dutaud is a Vice President at Phase 5.
He is passionate about solving complex problems through data analysis and visualization techniques, developing relationships with clients, as well as mentoring the next generation of researchers.
With 10+ years in marketing research, Louis brings experience from global research firms and marketing agencies, where he gained expertise in areas including advertising, brand equity, and customer experience and loyalty.
Nick
Vice President
Nick Baudoin, MBA, is Vice President of Insights & Analytics. He leads and conducts quantitative and qualitative research studies to guide clients’ strategic decision-making.
Nick focuses on understanding clients' complex business problems and generating actionable recommendations. He is passionate about providing high-quality research, compelling data and visualization, and effective storytelling.
Based in Minneapolis, MN, Nick earned BS degrees in Biology and Zoology from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management.
Paige
Controller
Paige is responsible for accounting and finance related matters for Phase 5. This position is unique in many ways; it offers the benefit of working with everyone in the organization and being involved in all Phase 5 projects.
Prior to joining Phase 5, Paige worked in the High-Tech, Non-profit and Construction industries. Paige holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, a Bachelor of Commerce degree (Human Resources) both from Carleton University, and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.
Qing
Consultant
Qing Peng is a Consultant at Phase 5.
She holds a Bachelors of Management and Organization Studies Specializing in Finance from Western University and a Marketing Research and Business Intelligence Graduate Certificate.
Qing is passionate about data and has strong skills in data manipulation and statistical data analysis, including advanced analysis techniques such as regression, conjoint and cluster analysis. She has a keen interest in technology and is engaged in programming online surveys.
Rachel
Senior Account Manager
Rachel Abugov (Langer) is a Senior Account Manager at Phase 5.
She is passionate about promoting the value of customer-centric research and developing collaborative relationships with clients to address their business needs.
Formerly a Senior Consultant in Phase 5’s UX research practice, Rachel developed a strong understanding of the firm's service offerings. She has also held BD and research roles with start-ups and is a founding organizer of Canada's first UX research conference.
Rachel holds a Masters in Sociology degree from Queen’s University.
Rich
Vice President of Client Solutions
Richard (Rich) Clarke is Phase 5’s Vice President of Client Solutions
Rich has been involved in the global Market Research Industry for 30 years and has lived and worked on 3 continents (and conducted research in more than 60 countries).
He has worked with clients in a multitude of industries (including Automotive, Financial Services and Technology) on both Quant and Qual projects and is passionate about creating innovative solutions and bringing a “partnership-first” mentality to all engagements to help solve clients’ challenges.
Saloni
Research Manager
Saloni Singh is a Research Manager at Phase 5.
She is passionate about understanding consumer behavior and helping businesses better engage with their audiences. She previously worked with international SMEs in the industrial sector to develop and execute Go-to-Market strategies for the North American market.
Saloni holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from McGill University and a Master’s Degree in Market Research from Spain's IE University.
Sam
Senior VP
Sam Fiorino is a Senior Vice President at Phase 5.
Sam has over 25 years of experience in marketing research, with a wealth of experience conducting Customer Experience research. He has extensive experience managing and conducting both qualitative and quantitative research. Sam is a senior member of Phase 5’s CX practice and leads many of the team’s advanced analytics, most notably key driver analysis.
Schumaila
Vice President
Schumaila is a Vice President at Phase 5 who leads quantitative and qualitative research for a broad range of clients, primarily in the financial and information services sectors.
A seasoned professional who manages large scale and complex projects, she is adept at ‘bringing out the story’ behind the data, illuminating research findings and delivering key insights that inform client decisions.
Schumaila speaks four languages, holds a Master’s Degree in Communications from Wayne State University, MI, USA and a Master’s Degree in Interpretation from Innsbruck University, Austria.
Shannon
Senior VP
Shannon is a Senior Vice President with Phase 5, and is responsible for conducting and overseeing research projects to support clients in understanding their markets, developing new products and services, and enhancing and evolving their existing offerings.
She works with clients across a variety of sectors, and specializes in quantitative research, with extensive experience designing and conducting studies featuring advanced techniques such as conjoint, MaxDiff, and market segmentation.
Shannon holds an MA and BA in Psychology from Carleton University.
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A long history full of new beginnings.
A renewed confidence.
Phase 5 launches our "Drive Bold Decisions" positioning to better reflect our value proposition and ability to satisfy clients' need for confidence in decision making in the context of a rapidly changing, hyper-competitive market.
2024
Focus on customer value.
We became a firm with offices in Ottawa, Toronto and Minneapolis with expertise in innovation, user experience design and customer experience serving national and global enterprises in all industry sectors.
Although we have grown in both our scope and capabilities, our core mission of helping clients realize value by evolving with their customers remains as a guiding light for the future.
2010
A multi-channel world.
With the emergence of digital channels, we recognized that the customer experience involved an increasingly complex mix of channels and touchpoints, and that we had a unique mix of skills and services to help clients manage in a multi-channel environment. Our expertise in customer experience and value measurement, along with our understanding of online channels, allowed us to better assist clients in managing the customer experience in this multi-channel environment. Phase 5 was recognized for its expertise in customer experience by being chosen to conduct the first business experience study, Taking Care of Business, for governments across Canada in 2004. This was followed by studies for government organizations in Canada and internationally to understand and improve on service delivery to their citizens.
2004
The rise of the internet.
Beyond helping organizations evolve with their customers, we realized that the business environment in the early 1990s was entering a period of seismic shift. Phase 5 was one of the first research and consulting firms to track and advise clients on the emerging online market. In 1995, we launched the Canada Information Monitor to track business use of the Internet across Canada. We followed this with new services to help government and commercial organizations transition their products and services to the online world. Starting in the late 1990s, we played an early role in helping the Government of Canada and companies in the information business migrate important products and services to the Internet.
In 1998, we established our Toronto office in order to serve a growing base of clients in the emerging Internet space. With growing recognition that online would become an essential channel for financial services, we became established as an important advisor to large companies in the financial services industry. At the same time, Phase 5 continued to play an important role in bringing customers into product and service development for companies and organizations in Canada and the US that had the delivery of information and workflow solutions at their core. This quickly expanded to include usability and user experience design services, and the establishment of usability lab testing capabilities.
1995
What's in a name?
Phase 5 was founded in 1991 in Ottawa, Canada, with a desire to help organizations constantly evolve to better meet the needs of their customers. The very name was chosen with this mission in mind. The development of businesses can be categorized on a continuum of phases ranging from a small, owner-operated enterprise (phase 1) to a large, multi-product, multi-unit, multi-market enterprise (phase 4). Our original mission was to help large, complex enterprises aspire for a fifth phase of striving to remain customer-focused (hence the name).