Simon Riley
Independent qualitative researcher, Shore
Overview
Qualitative research and insight curation, from experienced qual specialist Simon Riley. Love exploring ideas, products and communications through listening to people. A genuine all-rounder, able to tune into people from all walks of life.
Services
Simon listens to – and sometimes films – people from all walks of life, from business leaders to the least advantaged, on a huge range of topics. He sifts and interprets arrays of conversations, photos, posts, diaries and observations to uncover their real meanings for clients.
Simon works flexibly and collaboratively: he is equally happy running his own projects and freelancing for research agencies.
His work falls under five headings which reflect his eclectic range of experience: innovation, brand communications, society, media and shopper. A former qual research director in a major global agency, he also designs and delivers international qual projects.
About
After rising to qual researcher director at a big agency, Simon went independent in 2010 to be around more as a dad, and to spend more time on the fieldwork and analysis he loves. Under the Shore banner, this is exactly what Simon has done, providing the benefit of his experience and insight to a huge range of clients and agencies, while getting to observe and explore first hand the changing attitudes, tastes and behaviours in Britain today.
Simon grew up in Northern Ireland in the 1970s and 1980s, before going to Oxford to study Law. He graduated from St. Anne’s College in 1991, then worked for a time for a leading London law firm. But a nagging feeling that the law was not for him led to a eureka moment in 1997 when he came across qualitative research. After much knocking on agency doors, Harris Qualitative saw something in him and gave him his start – and he’s not looked back since.
In his spare time, Simon is very home and family-focussed but also follows his passions for football and indie music, reads widely, and takes sociology, anthropology and language courses. He is also very slowly writing a novel.
