Who we are

TKW Research is led by our COO, Sandhya Le Grand. Sandhya has worked in various roles within the financial services industry managing some of the country’s most challenging call centres over a 25 year period. She has brought that experience to TKW Research where she runs all of the company’s field operations for Melbourne, Sydney and New Zealand. Her experience spans all industries and sectors.

She manages a highly experienced and professional team who have the ability to capture a broad range of information either directly or discreetly.

Sandhya is incredibly well regarded amongst her peers and clients alike, the level of dedication and professionalism she displays is second to none.

Having worked with organisations such as Lend Lease, IOOF and AXA with emphasis on people management, she has been very successful in building businesses by the improvement of processes and people behaviour.

She also manages and coordinates the data processing team together with the market research staff members.

Sandhya has a Bachelor of Science (Hons) Applied Chemistry and is also a full member of The Research Society (formerly known as the Australian Market Research and Social Research Society – AMSRS).

On the rare occasions she finds herself not working, she enjoys her morning runs, spending time with her two Kelpie super pups Duffy & Missy, as well as a good wine.

Get in touch now to learn more about she can help ensure your next project is a success, or to discuss why New Zealand’s Pinot Noir from the Central Otago region is far superior than anything else in the market!

Paul is the newly appointed Joint Chief Executive Officer of the Research division at TKW Research Group. With over 15 years of experience in the research industry, Paul brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role. Prior to joining TKW Research Group, he served as the Managing Director of a leading social market research polling agency in Tasmania, where he successfully managed large-scale research programmes, including federal and state election polling.

Paul’s strong understanding of research methodologies, coupled with his ability to build lasting client relationships, makes him a valuable asset to the team. In his role, he shapes the firm’s strategic direction, oversees the development of innovative research methodologies, and expands the company’s capabilities across Australia and overseas.

Mandy managed a healthcare recruitment agency for 11 years prior to joining TKW Research which allowed to gain valuable experience and establish a wide network within the healthcare space.

Mandy is also GM of our general research side of the business. With vast experience in social research, compliance and customer engagement research and over 18 years’ experience in client management and designing bespoke innovative solutions for high profile clients both domestically and globally. With extensive experience across all sectors and methodologies, she thrives on the challenge of designing customised solutions for her clients.

A true self-confessed research tragic, even after all these years, she still gets a kick out of running projects, seeing the entire process unfold and all the hard work cumulate to the end data file and a happy client.

Mandy is a graduate of Swinburne University with a Bachelor degree in Business Marketing and Media Communications, as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Frontline Management and has additional training as a Certificate 3 & 4 ISO Lead Auditing of Management Systems. She is a full member of The Research Society (formerly known as the Australian Market Research and Social Research Society – AMSRS).

When she isn’t working, Mandy is with her family, either ‘trying’ to train their German Shepherd puppy or at her favourite chocolate shop having a double strength hot chocolate, extra hot with two pink marshmallows. She is also a tequila connoisseur. She always wanted to be a radio announcer, which would have been a good fit as she never shuts up. Always up for a chat and/or a hot chocolate/tequila so get in touch!

As our Operations Manager, Gareth makes sure our research operations run as smooth as possible — managing teams, tech, and timelines across multiple sites to deliver great results to clients. Besides his love of a Hawaiian shirt, he’s known for optimising everything, managing chaos with calm, and hitting ambitious quotas and targets night after night. With over two decades in the industry since 1998 (yes, we even had paper surveys back then!), he brings extensive experience from managing operations in another CATI heavy market research firm for 14 years. Gareth holds a PowerMBA and certification in Project Management, and his peers would say he’s calm, reliable, resourceful, and always ready with a solution. Being a Kiwi, he loves his rugby — whether standing on the sideline watching his son play or shouting at the TV — and enjoys travelling with his family to new corners of the globe. Coffee is something he absolutely cannot give up, and if he weren’t so good at his job, he’d probably be an air traffic controller since he loves co-ordination and chaos all at the same time. Always up for a coffee and chat so reach out!

Kris is our General Manager for the NZ operations and is responsible for building and managing relationships with clients, developing and implementing strategies for the betterment of the projects and being available to meet client’s requests.

Acting as a business partner with over 13 years of experience in the industry Kris believes in working closely with clients to provide the highest level of service and providing them with strategies on how to successfully complete and deliver projects within the time frame and budget. At times clients have found themselves in difficult situations and required help externally from someone who can get to their request swiftly and help troubleshoot issues and work on an action plan on delivery. Kris has successfully managed to help multiple organisations in these situations and provided them with solutions and a favourable result.

Kris holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and has previously worked in the Education and Manufacturing sector.

Outside work, Kris has a great appreciation for cars and will be found working with cars or going for drives with friends and family.

Dedication is key to Kris and he thrives on results. He will stop at nothing to follow through on what he has promised to deliver to clients. If you would like to learn more about how Kris could implement strategies for your organisation or hear examples of successful client projects, please get in touch!

As the General Manager of our Healthcare division, TKW Health, Dylan manages the entire operations of our healthcare department.

In addition to this, Dylan also has vast experience in general market research projects surveying businesses, opinion leaders and consumers to inform businesses strategic direction.

Dylan has diligently worked her way up through the organisation across all levels of the business since 2002, giving her an excellent understanding and insight on how best to serve our clients. Past roles include: CATI interview, Team Leader, Supervisor, CATI Manager, Project Manager and General Manager working across Healthcare, CATI, F2F, Qual and Online. The Research Society (formerly known as the Australian Market Research and Social Research Society – AMSRS).

With a Bachelor degree of Economics and over 17 years’ experience in the industry, Dylan continues to use this drive to deliver valuable insights to clients, helping our staff achieve KPIs & providing ongoing training to see them reach their full potential.

When not working Dylan can be found outside enjoying the fresh air and walking around her local area, usually seeking the sunshine. She also has a deep appreciation and love of Coffee, always ordering her favourite – Long black ¾ full single origin.

If you would like to learn more about Dylan’s appreciation for end to end project management, and managing projects then get in touch!

Working as our Client Services Executive, Rob has 30 years of marketing and management experience, which includes more than a decade of field management in the market research industry and is considered to be one of the best market research sampling managers in the country.

Rob is responsible for managing many of our large-scale CATI research studies covering diverse range of sectors with many different quotas and complex sampling requirements. During the fieldwork phase, he provides clients with a daily performance appraisal, which includes sample performance and achievements against quotas.

Have you got a complex sampling issue that you need to work around? Rob is your man! Get in touch today.

With over 12 years of experience in customer service, people management and event project management, Vani comes perfectly equipped for the role Project Manager with My CX. She takes the overall responsibility for the successful initiation, planning, design, execution, monitoring, controlling and closure of a project. She works seamlessly with the internal team, clients and the shoppers alike to ensure the success of campaign and delivers exceptional data each and every time.

When she is not juggling multiple national mystery shopping campaigns, Vani has a very full and colourful life. She enjoys spending time with her daughter, creating TikTok content and hosting her radio show and many community cultural events – this girl does not like to sit still!! Vani is certainly a person who lives life to the fullest and is never afraid of challenges!!

David is our specialist in programming and data processing with over 19 years’ experience finding creative solutions to challenging problems. David enjoys finding new ways to streamline programming, integration of systems and data processing to save time using a range of different software or writing customised programs.

Impressively, David is a self-taught programmer from a young age and has been learning on the job ever since. He believes learning never stops and is always excited to find creative solutions to difficult problems. He also has a diploma in Audio Engineering & Production.

When not in the office David can be found spearfishing, enjoying Muay Thai kickboxing, playing guitar, motorbike riding or hanging out at the beach.

If you are looking for someone to help with automating processes to increase your organisation’s efficiency, get in touch!

Working as our Quality Assurance & Compliance Manager, Tony focuses on ensuring quality & ethical standards are being met across all levels of the business. To best meet the needs of the clients Tony will ensure company policy is being followed by all department members and that the organisation’s messaging and behaviour reflect the rules and regulations of the company and our governing bodies.

Tony also reviews and analyses data in order to develop plans to recruit, motivate, and encourage employees while striving to improve processes and product quality.

Tony is a true coffee connoisseur. If you would like to know more about our QA or compliance processes, get in touch!

Ashley Leahy has over 15 years of experience in collecting data within the market research space. As TKW Research’s CATI Manager he runs our CATI team ensuring that the data is collected efficiently and accurately.

Ashley holds a Bachelor of Business Marketing and an Advanced Diploma of Business Marketing, providing him with a strong foundation for understanding market research. His expertise lies in managing high-quality market research studies using the CATI methodology. He also has a passion for technology and always looking for innovation to increase the efficiency and quality of his team.

When he’s not working, Ashley is a dedicated family man, he can be found hanging out with his little man Lincoln, enjoying quality time with friends, and indulging in his love for food and good coffee. Ashley also maintains an active lifestyle and plays piano, trumpet, and has an amazing singing voice, showcasing his creative side.

Whether he’s navigating the complexities of a market research project or enjoying a symphony of his own creation, Ashley exemplifies a distinctive mix of professional dedication and personal enthusiasm.

A seasoned professional hailing from the picturesque Suva, Fiji Islands. With over 11 years immersed in the outsourcing industry, my journey has been marked by dynamic collaborations with diverse clients. I’ve had the privilege of working closely with regional clients from Australia and New Zealand, as well as fostering connections with clients based in Europe.

My career in the outsourcing industry is defined by a commitment to delivering exceptional customer service and effective team management. Currently, I serve as the Contact Center Manager at TKW Research Group, where I oversee a dedicated team of customer service representatives, ensuring they are well-trained, motivated, and consistently meeting performance targets. My responsibilities include performance monitoring, reporting and analysis of key performance indicators (KPIs), and driving process improvement initiatives. I also maintain effective communication with internal stakeholders to align goals and enhance the overall customer service experience.

Previously, I held various leadership roles over the past 11 years and my final role was of a Call Center Manager, and leading a team of over 150 employees serving clients in Australia and New Zealand. My role involved extensive stakeholder management and process improvement to ensure seamless operations and customer satisfaction.

Outside the realm of call centre management, I find joy in the simple pleasures of life. When the sun graces us with its presence, you’ll often find me indulging in picnics, embracing the outdoors. During leisurely moments, I’m an avid movie enthusiast, exploring stories that captivate the imagination.

I am currently pursing my Professional Diploma in Business Management at the University of the South Pacific