Hi there! I’ve been a freelance researcher since 2021 - completed 30+ projects for 20+ clients, and contracted for 500+ research hours in 2023 alone.

I approach research from a wide-ranging, multidisciplinary perspective given that:

• I volunteer for four organisations alongside my research work - 20+ hrs per week focusing on 1) 🎓 access to education & 🚀 social mobility, 2) 🔬 cancer research, 3) 📝 policy-making, and 4) 🌏 tackling climate change.

• I have three degrees - an MBA, a postgraduate law degree, and BA Geography from the University of Cambridge.

• I worked for Amazon in operations and business development roles over 2.5 years :

  • Operations - oversaw delivery of up to 50,000 parcels per day

  • Business development - recruited and managed over 50 sellers per year on the Amazon EU marketplace.

• Learning defines my life. Currently, I:

• Self-teach programming through Harvard’s CS50 course & Udemy’s Complete Data Science Bootcamp.

• Am learning the piano - practising every day since I started in Apr 2023.

• Read a book a week - from philosophy to AI ethics to murder mystery.

• Journal every day

CV | LinkedIn

• Market research

• Competitor analysis - for start-ups and large companies

• UX analysis

• Desk research & report writing

Typical rate: £50/hr (exact rate dependent on project scope & responsibilities - book a call now)

Pancreatic Cancer UK - lay reviewer of research grant applications and website information (ongoing)

• Researcher for Pancreatic Cancer UK, a leading UK cancer charity.

• Advise on how to communicate innovative research in ways that makes sense to the general public, while considering the needs of cancer patients and their families.

Top 40 Fortune Global 500 energy company - start-up strategy (Oct 2023)

• Audited recruitment messaging of five future competitors for a global energy company looking to set up a new engineering hub in India.

• Analysed careers website messaging, social media messaging themes, tone of voice, visual identity, and employee review ratings.

US healthcare company - competitor audit & healthcare market research (Aug 2023)

• Wholescale brand strategy audit.

• Analysed entire websites of the client and three competitors to evaluate:

  • 1) corporate narrative - key messaging themes, tone of voice, visual identity

  • 2) business model - lines of business, key customers, investors, partnerships, and licensing models

  • 3) technology - patents, R&D, manufacturing, and operations

  • 4) products - existing and pipeline products

  • 5) market research of global healthcare consumer trends

Transatlantic brand strategy consultancy - recruitment strategy (Aug 2023)

• Directly hired by a brand strategy consultancy to complete their competitor audit after great reviews for agency work.

• Developed client’s recruitment messaging by comparing their careers website and social media messaging to five of their competitors’.

Top 5 global pharmaceutical company - UX analysis (Aug 2023)

• UX audit of client’s careers website and eight of their competitors’.

• Analysed homepage layout, navigation menus, and overall website architecture.

FTSE 100 financial company - recruitment strategy (Jul 2023)

• Competitor audit looking at the employer messaging of client’s tech & ops teams and eight competitors across six markets (including India and China).

Global energy company - international recruitment strategy (Jun-Aug 2023)

• Comprehensive analysis of online employer brand footprint for client and four competitors per target market: the UK, The Netherlands, Poland, Australia, and New Zealand.

• Commissioned for additional hours after the client was impressed with the initial deliverable.

FTSE 100 entertainment company serving over 18 M customers - employee satisfaction research (three days on-site, May 2023)

• Collected qualitative data from client’s employees.

• Wrote a desk report on employer attitudes.

Global energy company - diversity & inclusion talent strategy (Apr-May 2023)

• Talent market research and competitor analysis to develop client’s female talent acquisition strategy in India.

• Two deliverables created:

  • 1) desk research report on the female talent pool

  • 2) competitor audit comparing client’s careers website messaging and those of four competitors.

European arm of top 5 company in the world by market cap - brand messaging review (Jan - Feb 2023)

• Compared the client's careers website and social media messaging to four of its competitors.

North American arm of top 5 company in the world by market cap - recruitment strategy (Oct-Nov 2022)

• Talent market research and competitor analysis to develop a world-leading tech company’s US recruitment strategy.

• Two deliverables created:

  • 1) desk research report on the competitive landscape for systems, technician, and robotics talent

  • 2) competitor audit comparing recruitment messaging on the client’s website and social media with that of seven competitors.

Largest producer of renewable energy in Europe - recruitment strategy (Jul 2021)

• Competitor analysis, evaluating careers website and social media messaging for the client and 10 competitors.

FTSE 100 banking company - talent market insights (Feb-Mar 2021)

• Two deliverables created:

  • 1) desk research report on the competitive landscape for tech and data science talent in nine emerging markets in the financial sector

  • 2) competitor audit comparing messaging on the client’s website and social media with that of four competitors.

“Taran has been a critical part of the ST Brand Strategy and Research team for several years and we're all delighted to have him working alongside us on the team. He diligently performs desk research projects varying from competitor audit assessments to talent profile research, always delivering to an exceptional level of detail, always on time and incorporating a very high standard of critical thinking. He is, in short, a pleasure to work with and will be a great asset to any company seeking a high quality research service.”

Edwina Emery | Researcher Manager, Symphony Talent Brand Strategy & Research Team

“Taran’s been a pleasure to work with. As a member of our Research Involvement Network, his attention to detail and ability to provide detailed feedback in the various research opportunities that we advertise, ranging from our grant applications to giving feedback on lay summaries before funding applications are submitted, helps ensure that the lay summaries are clear, easy to understand, and will ensure maximum value for those affected by pancreatic cancers.”

Pancreatic Cancer UK | Research Team