Research Team


Jon Collins
Managing Director / CEO
jon@freeformdynamics.com



As Managing Director, Jon looks after Freeform Dynamics’ overall strategy and direction, as well as overseeing the company’s primary research activities, which provide ongoing insights into how IT industry developments map onto practical business needs in the Enterprise and SMB mainstream.

Also an active industry analyst, Jon has an end-user background, having worked as an IT consultant, network manager and software engineer for companies such as Admiral Management Services Ltd, Alcatel and Philips Electronics. Through positions such as these, Jon has accumulated significant real world expertise and experience in many areas of IT service delivery over the years, including IT service management, IT security, infrastructure management, IT architecture and application development.

Jon has worked as an industry analyst since 1999 for companies including IDC, Bloor Research, Quocirca and Macehiter Ward-Dutton. He is a widely published author and has acted as an advisor to leading vendors including Cisco, EMC, IBM and Microsoft; and to large IT user organisations in the Government, Telecommunications and Financial Services sectors.

Current areas of focus: Software (Architecture & Development), Information Management and Security


Helen Vile
Operations Director / COO
helen@freeformdynamics.com



As Operations Director, Helen oversees all operational aspects of the business. Within this, she is a driving member of the research team and is responsible for designing the practical aspects of primary research studies, managing their execution and analysing the output from them.

In terms of experience and expertise, Helen has a strong background in the customer services arena, having run technical support and field service functions in safety critical areas such as hi-tech medical equipment and building management during her career. This experience was gained with companies such as GE Medical Systems and Satchwell Control Systems.

Helen has been involved in IT industry research and analysis since 2003. In her previous role at Quocirca, she was responsible for customer service monitoring activity as well as being intimately involved in traditional project based research studies, before moving on and co-founding Freeform Dynamics in 2005.

Current areas of focus: Primary Research Execution


Dale Vile
Research Director
dale@freeformdynamics.com



As Research Director, Dale is a member of the Freeform Dynamics management team, and is responsible for defining areas of coverage and driving the company’s research agenda.

Also an active industry analyst, Dale has extensive experience in both end-user and vendor environments. In the first part of his career, he held positions as developer, architect and project manager within companies such as Glaxo and Heineken. He later moved on to the vendor community and worked in various consulting, business development and management roles at Nortel Networks, SAP, JD Edwards and Sybase.

Dale has worked as an industry analyst since the year 2000, initially with Bloor Research, and later with Quocirca, where he developed and ran the company’s core primary research business until co-founding Freeform Dynamics in 2005.

Current areas of focus: Enterprise IT Strategy/Investment, Desktop & Mobile, SMB


Martin Atherton
Service Director
martin@freeformdynamics.com



As Service Director, Martin is a member of the Freeform Dynamics management team, and is responsible for the company’s service portfolio. As an active analyst, Martin also covers IT Strategy, Service Delivery and BPM.

One area Martin is particularly interested in is the relationship between industry-specific drivers/dynamics and IT solutions. The reality is that this area remains a challenge for many suppliers, often hampering their ability to tune into their customers, and Martin is committed to helping close this gap and drive better alignment between the two camps. As part of this, he has accumulated significant research and project experience in the Manufacturing, Financial Services, Energy, Utilities and Retail sectors during his career.

Martin has been an industry analyst since 1997, and prior to joining Freeform Dynamics, he held a variety of senior positions within Datamonitor.

Current areas of focus: IT Strategy, ITSM, BPM


Tony Lock
Programme Director
tony@freeformdynamics.com



As Programme Director, Tony is responsible for driving coverage in the areas of Systems Infrastructure and Management, IT Service Management, Outsourcing, and emerging hosting models such as Software as a Service and Cloud Computing. Beyond technology, Tony also considers the role of financial models in relation to IT investment.

One of the areas that interests Tony is how developments in infrastructure and communications technologies allow more innovative and effective ways of delivering services to the business. His in depth knowledge of mainframe, server and storage technology and their operational management puts him in an ideal position to drive through theory and hype to real world practicalities.

Based in Germany, Tony joined Freeform Dynamics in 2007. He has been an industry analyst since 2000, originally with Bloor Research, then later with Sageza. Before this, he gained extensive experience in the vendor arena working for companies such as Amdahl, and also has a strong IT practitioner background with companies like BP and BT.

Current areas of focus: Systems, ITSM, Outsourcing, SaaS/Cloud


Josie Sephton
Principal Analyst
josie@freeformdynamics.com



Josie Sephton is Principal Analyst at Freeform Dynamics covering telecoms solutions and services in the enterprise and SMB sectors, and is responsible for Freeform’s research agenda in this area.

As a seasoned analyst and consultant with over 19 years in the telecoms and IT services industry, Josie has extensive experience of researching and analysing requirements and offerings across the communications landscape. She also has a strong project management background and a consistent track record of successful delivery, working with a broad list of clients, from global service providers and equipment vendors, through to multinational corporations across various verticals.

Prior to joining Freeform Dynamics, Josie held positions at Ovum, Eurodata Foundation and LogicaCMG.

Current areas of focus: Telecoms, Mobility, Unified Comms


Linsey Berry
Data Analyst
linsey@freeformdynamics.com



Linsey has two primary areas of responsibility within the Freeform team. As a talented data analyst with a good eye for visualisation, she specialises in the preparation and exploration of primary research data to identify correlations and trends, working closely with the industry analysts in the team who provide the necessary domain expertise. This collaborative approach to analysis and interpretation maximises the original insights that stem from community research and other studies.

Linsey’s success in this role is not surprising given her strong background in primary research execution within and beyond the technology sector. Having worked as a team leader in more traditional market research organisations such as the GfK Group, Linsey’s direct experience of both business-to-business and consumer research techniques, including data quality management, is invaluable to Freeform Dynamics.

In addition to her work as a Data Analyst, Linsey also looks after day to day dealings with the editors of Freeform’s media partners, coordinating publication schedules and managing the release and publication process for articles, blogs and other materials. Given the importance of both traditional and social media to Freeform’s communication program, this is a key aspect of Linsey’s responsibilities.

Current areas of focus: Data Analysis, Project Support, Publications