Belinda Beeftink Announces Retirement After 18 Years of Transformational Leadership

After 18 years of remarkable service, Belinda Beeftink, research director at the IPA, is set to retire on the 31st December 2024, marking the end of an era in media research. Belinda leaves behind an impressive legacy of innovation and collaboration, having been instrumental in driving the growth of the IPA's flagship research tool, TouchPoints, and shaping the landscape of audience measurement.

Belinda joined the IPA in January 2007, assuming responsibility for the day-to-day running of the pioneering TouchPoints survey. Launched just one year earlier, TouchPoints began as a one-off project at the request of the IPA Media Futures’ Group. With Belinda’s expert stewardship and then leadership, TouchPoints has grown into a multimillion pound research project with over 75 subscribers spanning a diverse range of agencies, media owners, and industry bodies like Ofcom.

In reacting to the news Paul Bainsfair, IPA director general said, “Belinda is one of the big players in media research and has been an amazing asset to us over her long IPA career. Whilst we obviously wish Belinda the very best for a long and enjoyable retirement, we will miss her terribly and she will be a hard act to follow. Thankfully, she leaves behind an excellent team with a deep understanding of this most, technical area of advertising.”

TouchPoints: A Groundbreaking Tool for the Industry

Under Belinda’s direction, TouchPoints has evolved into the only cross-media planning system that integrates multiple industry currencies, including BARB, RAJAR, PAMCo, and more. It has become an essential resource in the communications planning process, allowing subscribers to evaluate and plan across all media platforms in ways previously unimaginable.

"Belinda’s contribution to TouchPoints and the industry has been nothing short of extraordinary," said Ian Dowds, CEO of UKOM. "It will feel like one of the last ravens leaving the Tower of London when you go through the Belgrave Square IPA door for the last time."

“The industry is losing such an amazing person, who has been a such a champion for the evolution of research, smart and innovative data usage and is a hugely respected voice in the industry. Your shoes will be quite some to fill!” added Nick Sami, Data Strategy, Intelligence & Insight Consultant.

Belinda’s commitment to innovation saw TouchPoints achieve several industry firsts, including:

• The first survey to combine diary data with an extensive lifestyle questionnaire.
• The first to use an app for data collection via mobile phones.
• The first industry-wide survey to measure emotions and mood.
• The first to implement passive data collection.
• The first to generate word-of-mouth scores for campaign planning tools.

The survey, originally released every two years, shifted to an annual cycle under Belinda’s leadership. During the COVID-19 pandemic, TouchPoints responded to the demand for more timely data by offering biannual releases. Today, it remains a cornerstone of media planning and evaluation for its subscribers.

Champion of Industry Evolution

Belinda became IPA Research Director in 2018, promoted to the role she had been preparing for when Lynne Robinson retired (1993-2018). This promotion further cemented her influence across the media research landscape. In this role, she represented IPA agencies in major industry media research contracts, including ABC, BARB, JICMAIL, and Route, ensuring agency interests were always considered. This was an especially challenging period during the Pandemic as nearly all the JICs were impacted by lockdown. Some difficult and pragmatic decisions needed to be taken without delay.

"Belinda always seemed omnipresent in all the key forums—driving forward all things good in our industry," remarked John Carroll, Director of Research and Audiences at RAJAR. "You will be a very hard act to follow."

Beyond her work with TouchPoints, Belinda has been an active and respected voice within the Media Research Group, where she served as Chair, and as Head Judge for the Adwanted Media Research Awards for the past three years. Her tireless dedication was recognised with an Honorary Fellowship from the Market Research Society, celebrating her efforts to evolve audience measurement methodologies.

"I have really appreciated Belinda’s contribution to the board and the fantastic wisdom that she has shared. Belinda will be missed both by the board and by me personally" said Iain Jacob, chair of UKOM and former CEO Publicis Media EMEA.

A Lasting Legacy

Belinda’s impact on the IPA and the broader media industry will be felt for years to come. Her advocacy for collaborative industry efforts and her leadership in groundbreaking projects like TouchPoints have shaped media research into what it is today.

As she steps into retirement, the entire industry has expressed its gratitude. Jim Jarrett, head of research operations at Barb summed it up best: "The whole industry will want to thank you for your contribution to media research and wish you well in the future."

The IPA will be announcing plans for her succession in due course.