The business, part of the Bailie Group, made its first acquisition when it took over customer behaviour research specialist SimpleUsability at the end of September 2020. 

CDS has now earmarked £1.1m to invest in taking on fresh recruits at the new division, which is headed by CDS operations director Clare Gledhill. 

The Leeds-headquartered firm plans to add eight new team members and is also recruiting from within: Lucy Beldon becomes planning and performance lead, Fiona Harwood takes on the role of head of service design, Susie Spencer will run the behavioural research team, and Martin Gittens helms user experience design.

Gledhill cited the importance of understanding the need for inclusive communications, and cited ONS data regarding the number of people with disabilities in the UK – more than 10m – and the fact that 4.2m over-65s have never used the internet. 

“Our new behavioural insight agency will help organisations to understand the needs of their audiences so that they can build and deliver experiences and communications that are truly authentic and empathic in nature,” she said. 

CDS has also invested in access to research tools including YouGov and Gartner. 

The firm’s clients include major brands and public bodies.