Jim Lane

About Jim Lane

May 2024 - Directions Inc announced that Jim Lane, President and Chief Executive Officer, will retire on December 31, 2024, after nine years of leading the firm through tremendous growth and transformation. Jim joined Directions in 2010 and was elected President and CEO in 2015. Under Jim’s leadership, the firm doubled in size while maintaining a strong culture of customer-centric service. He oversaw the successful acquisitions of SEEK Company in 2018 and Aimpoint Research® in 2021, bringing together an unmatched suite of quantitative, qualitative, and strategic intelligence capabilities.Throughout his nearly 40-year career in the insights industry and business leadership, Jim has held ownership and leadership positions with multiple firms, including Senior Vice President of Catalina Marketing and President and Owner of Market Intelligence, Inc. His track record demonstrates a commitment to clients and employees and a passion for building a people-first culture.“Serving the clients and employees of Directions, SEEK, and Aimpoint Research for nearly 15 years, including the last nine as President and CEO, has been the business privilege of a lifetime,” said Jim. “We have achieved tremendous success on many fronts, and today, the company is as strong as ever and positioned to capitalize on the changing world in which we compete. While there is much that I will remember fondly, I am most proud of the culture that ties us all together. Being independently recognized as a “Top Workplace” for the past seven years means we delivered much more than a job during the business challenges both pre- and post-COVID. Our employee team is one of the best in the industry…dedicated, hardworking, and supportive of each other. I will also be forever grateful for the client and vendor partner relationships and friendships I have been afforded over the years. Having spent nearly all my forty-year career in the insights industry, I am humbled to step aside. I am confident knowing the group of Directions Inc brands has strong leaders who are passionate and committed to our business. I look forward to watching the company continue to thrive under their guidance.”

Experience

1. President & CEO

   The Directions Group

   May 2015 — Present · Cincinnati, OH, US

Education

• Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

  MBA, Management

  1988 — 1993

• Bradley University

  BS, Marketing

  1978 — 1982

Skills

• Advertising Research
• Focus Groups
• Questionnaire Design
• Fmcg
• B2b
• Brand Equity
• Segmentation
• Survey Design
• Market Research
• Customer Insight
• Primary Research
• Quantitative Research
• Marketing Research
• Competitive Intelligence
• Consumer Behaviour
• Marketing