Sports Marketing Surveys has announced the appointment of Michael Stone to the newly created position of head of research. John Bushnell, managing director of the U.K.-based market research company, said that his addition to SMS' team will ensure that clients will get more sophisticated qualitative research and analysis to complement its quantitative insights. A particularly keen tennis fan, Stone has developed a successful business from scratch and worked extensively for blue chip clients such as HSBC and Barclays. He has also worked for SMS as a consultant on various projects including assessments of the economic impact of golf on European economies, of the barriers to entry for the sports of basketball and table tennis in the U.K., and the effectiveness of the hospitality programs at the Wimbledon Championships.

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