Verve expands Manchester Simulations Studio with six new hires
The consultancy is recruiting in Ancoats as demand grows for its VIPS “synthetic customers” product, now used by more than 40 global brands.
Technology, services and consultancy business Verve is expanding its Simulations Studio team in Manchester, adding tech and research staff.
The hires are in response to rising international demand for Verve Intelligent Personas & Simulations (VIPS), the company’s own “synthetic customers” product, which it describes as decision-grade.
VIPS is now in use at more than 40 global brands, and the company says it gives organisations “decision-grade customer understanding at decision pace.” Its uptake has come alongside Verve’s international partnerships, which include UK data partner CACI and US research consultancy Burke.
The Simulations Studio is the specialist team that develops, deploys, validates and continues to evolve VIPS for clients and partners. It now numbers 14, with every new recruit working from Verve’s Ancoats Hub.
Chris Espley has joined as associate director, with 10 years of experience in research on both the agency and client side. Shaun Johnston arrives as senior consultant after strategic insight roles at Basis and Human8, previously the Manchester-founded Join the Dots.
Verve is also bringing in four recent graduates, Harriet Micklewright, Charlotte Davies, Emma Fullard and Wesley Cooke, who join the studio in November, all based in Manchester. Another member of the studio’s emerging talent, Isla Lees, was recently nominated for the Significant Insights Global 30 Under 30 initiative.
Verve says the expansion reflects a broader change in the research industry, with AI creating roles that combine research expertise, technology and analytical skills, and it is putting Manchester at the centre of its recruitment.
Andrew Cooper, founder and chief executive, said: “Building plausible customer personas is easy – anyone with a dataset and an LLM can do that. However, building decision-grade customer personas and simulations that are constantly validated, reliable and auditable is a true specialist skill set.”
VIPS has won ESOMAR’s Tony Cowling Innovation Award and the Breakthrough Research Methodology Award in 2026. Earlier honours include AURA’s Innovation of the Year Award in 2024 and Excellence in AI and Automation in 2025.
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