IRI adds Carrie Shea as managing partner of growth consulting

Market research and consulting firm IRI has brought in Carrie Shea to serve as a managing partner of growth consulting in its IRI Strategic Analytics business. Shea brings more than 25 years of strategy consulting experience to the role.

Based in Chicago, IRI is one of the leading market research and consulting firms serving the CPG, retail, media, and healthcare industries. The company has offerings in data and analytics, insights, and strategy consulting, and serves more than 5,000 global clients.

IRI has 3,600 employees across offices in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia-Pacific.

The company has now brought in strategy veteran Carrie Shea to serve as managing partner of its expanding growth consulting practice, which focuses on combining IRI’s proprietary data and analytics with strategic advisory that drives sustainable business growth.

Shea, who will be based in the firm’s Chicago headquarters, brings over 25 years of growth strategy and due diligence consulting experience across the consumer products, retail, manufacturing, and private equity industries.

Shea started her career at consulting firm A.T. Kearney, where she was a member of the consumer products, automotive, and strategy practices. She spent 13 years at the firm, rising to the level of vice president and partner.

After A.T. Kearney, Shea co-founded Archstone Consulting, which built growth strategies for CPG, consumer durables (apparel, footwear), and automotive industries. After four years at Archstone, she spent a year as a principal at The Cambridge Group, before co-founding Griffin Strategic Advisors, a consumer durables-focused strategy firm. After six years as CEO, the company was bought by Acosta Sales & Marketing, where Shea spent two-and-a-half years as president of the AMG Strategic Advisors division.

Shea was then a director at The Keystone Group and a managing partner at boutique consultancy Phoenix Strategic Advisors, before taking on the role of president and chief transformation officer at research firm Ipsos North America for the past year-and-a-half.

Shea holds an MBA and BA from the University of Chicago.

“Carrie is joining us at a truly exciting time, as our Strategic Analytics group continues to bring revolutionary offerings and innovative thinking to CPGs and retailers looking for sustained, profitable growth,” Krishnakumar Davey, president of IRI Strategic Analytics, said. “Her expertise in growth strategy consulting combined with IRI’s big data and technology will ensure her success in developing practical insights and actionable recommendations.”

Shea added, “I am very excited to join this cutting-edge team and am committed to applying my experience to help IRI further advance our clients’ growth strategy activities.”