Goodbye LEGO. Hello Zappi!

As a child, I remember my parents giving me a small box for Christmas. I was probably eight - four years after we immigrated to the country - and we didn't have much to call our own. I remember only a few toys. But that Christmas, inside that box, I found an airplane made of glossy plastic parts.

Back then, nothing in life fit perfectly - nothing was that clean. There were no clear instructions; like most immigrants, we were living day-to-day, moving from one rental house to the next.

And yet, there was this airplane waiting to be built. ‘It’s not just an airplane,’ my Dad said. It could be anything. You build it - you take it apart. What you get is entirely up to your own imagination.

Having spoken to my mentors and friends about leaving LEGO, one question they often ask is: what did you learn while you were there?

I learned what it takes to launch a new office; how rewarding and hard it is to build an amazing team from scratch; how meaningful it is to have a third grader tell me how much they loved math (because of LEGO). I could fill an entire post with these experiences.

In many ways, my answer is based on the experiences I had with my very first LEGO box. Just like my kids in this picture from a few years ago, I discovered that the world is a playground, full of the potential for playful learning and countless opportunities to help push one another to new heights.

I'm excited to do just that in my next role as EVP of Marketing (press release below) at Zappi.

Zappi introduces new ways to conduct market research. People who care about insights can use Zappi’s tools to make the right choices for their businesses, easily. Current clients like Coke, Unilever, Under Armour and Samsung use it to drive their product development and creative processes. These customers care deeply about testing early and often, reaffirming business-critical decisions, and listening to what their customers want, so that they too can create experiences as thrilling as mine with that LEGO airplane years ago.

Zappi’s breakthrough automation technology and their passion for data is exciting, but so is their company culture and the diverse, talented teams who make it a reality.

If you’re interested in a new role in dev, marketing, product, or sales… we would love to talk to you. We have offices in I’m hiring for three roles in marketing, two in Boston and one in London :)

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ZappiStore appoints Boston-based Ken Yanhs as new EVP of Marketing

Boston, MA (October 3, 2017) - Ken Yanhs, former Director of Marketing at LEGO Education, has joined automated market research technology company ZappiStore as the Executive Vice President of Marketing.

Chief Revenue Officer Ryan Barry said “We’re very excited to have Ken join our team of innovators.

He understands the value of introducing Zappi’s range of automated research tools to clients to power quality business insight with speed and reduced costs. His experience in both B2B and B2C marketing will play a critical role as we continue to evolve our creative and innovative testing solutions. Ken’s background in creative and customer-centric marketing, demand generation, and technology will help further drive Zappi’s growth as we look to double our revenue from fiscal year 2016 to 2017.”

Ken Yanhs said, “As a marketer, I understand that Zappi's clients care deeply about testing early and often, reaffirming business-critical decisions, and listening to what their customers want. Zappi's breakthrough technology means that understanding of the market is now more accessible than ever. I'm excited to join a team that's not only passionate about data, technology, and automation, but also one that is inclusive and knows how to have fun.”

Yanhs has held leadership positions at companies such as LEGO, EF, and Bain & Company. With his experience building teams locally and internationally, Ken will create a cohesive marketing strategy and manage the marketing team in Zappi’s London headquarters, while also working closely with the broader sales and technology teams in Chicago, Portland, Cape Town, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Hamburg, Paris, and Singapore. He will also help Zappi in developing partnerships with forward-looking agencies such as Kantar Millward Brown and System1 Research.

Ken will also act as an advisory board member for the Life is Good Foundation - an organisation working to positively impact the quality of care delivered to the most vulnerable children.

About ZappiStore

ZappiStore is the online technology company that is changing the way companies access insight. By using AI and machine learning, ZappiStore delivers faster and cheaper insights for a range of business issues from new product development, to pack or creative testing. Insights are not only faster and cheaper, you also get better quality, as ZappiStore only partners with world-leading research providers using proven tools. Founded in 2013, ZappiStore has over 160 people in six offices across the globe and works with FTSE 500 clients.