Darren Hanson

Darren Hanson has been appointed Head of Client Strategy at RED C Research & Marketing, based in the company's London office. He brings more than 25 years of experience helping organisations harness customer understanding to drive strategic planning, commercial performance and long-term growth. His career spans senior leadership roles across both client-side and agency environments, including over a decade with Orange, where he gained extensive experience in one of the world's most customer-focused sectors. Working across domestic and international markets, Darren has built a reputation for helping organisations use customer insight to navigate change, develop stronger brands and create customer-centric strategies.

He is a graduate of the London School of Economics and has established himself as an expert in applying research methodologies across international business contexts. At Orange, he held the role of Director of Strategic Consumer Insights & Segmentation, combining his experience of using a wide range of research techniques to answer diverse business objectives with supporting corporate research teams in delivering insight with impact and inspiration. He is a member of the UK MRS and Orange corporate member lead for ESOMAR.

Career History

• Head of Client Strategy at RED C Research & Marketing (current)
• Director of Strategic Consumer Insights & Segmentation at Orange
• Senior roles in international market research within technology sector
• Marketing and research agency roles, including TDB in Covent Garden (with early research for Orange)
• Retail management and bookshop management early in career

What Hanson could bring to Head of Client Strategy at RED C Research & Marketing: His extensive client-side experience positions him to help translate evidence into action, connect insight more closely to decision-making, and ensure research delivers meaningful commercial and organisational impact. His track record navigating complex organisational change at scale through customer insight, combined with his agency background, enables him to bridge the traditional divide between research producers and consumers—a critical capability as organisations demand greater commercial accountability from research investments.