TRA appoints senior team to accelerate growth

The Research Agency (TRA) has appointed Ben Farnsworth as sales director, a newly created role designed to drive the next phase of growth for its expanded brand tracking capability.

The appointment comes as TRA scales its brand tracking proposition TRA Tracking. The platform combines human-centered consulting with advanced AI in an interactive, always-on dashboard alongside generative AI assistant Arti. It delivers rapid momentum for clients and reshapes how marketers can access and act on insight.

Lead new business growth

Located in Sydney and reporting directly to Terri Hall, managing partner, Australia, Farnsworth will lead new business growth with TRA Tracking, playing a pivotal role in expanding TRA’s client roster across enterprise and high-growth organisations.

His remit spans business development and pipeline growth, driving adoption of TRA Tracking, client relationship management and solving complex client challenges by bringing together consulting expertise and scalable technology.

Accelerate success

Complementing Farnsworth’s appointment, Tessa Tripp joins TRA in the newly created role of head of product marketing. She will work alongside Farnsworth to accelerate the go-to-market success of TRA Tracking.

Based in Auckland and reporting to partner Colleen Ryan, Tripp will establish and lead the product marketing and go-to-market strategy for TRA Tracking, while building internal focus and momentum as the business scales. 

Delivers real impact for clients

Terri Hall, managing partner, Australia, says: “We’re entering a significant growth phase, driven by the demand for faster, more actionable insight and the rise of AI-enabled decision-making.

“Ben brings the commercial discipline and market experience we need to scale effectively, while ensuring we continue to deliver the depth and quality of thinking TRA is known for.

“Alongside this, Tessa’s deep expertise in brand-led marketing ensures we have the capability to bring TRA Tracking to market in a way that cuts through and delivers real impact for clients,” she adds.

What the market misses

Farnsworth joins TRA with broad ranging experience in enterprise SaaS, having launched and scaled businesses across the APAC region, the UK and Europe.

Most recently, Farnsworth was managing partner ANZ at Adzymic, where he established the company’s presence in Australia and New Zealand, building pipeline from the ground up and securing its first regional revenue. Prior to this, he held a senior partnerships role at Bench Media, driving new business growth across the Australian market.

Farnsworth says: “TRA Tracking represents a genuine evolution in how marketers access and use insight. It brings together the speed and accessibility of AI with the depth of human understanding, which is exactly what the market has been missing.

“I’m excited to lead its growth, shape its commercial success and help cement TRA’s position as a leader in insight-tech.”

Exciting challenge

Tripp brings a decade of marketing leadership experience across financial services, technology and education. She has built and led award-winning marketing functions from the ground up, secured board-level investment in brand and driven pipeline growth across New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

Most recently, Tripp led TRA’s brand-led marketing strategy in a 12-month contract as head of marketing, making her uniquely positioned to drive outcomes in this new role.

Tripp says: “Brand tracking has traditionally been slow, expensive and disconnected from the decisions marketers need to make in real time. I should know, I’ve been that client.

“TRA Tracking changes that and the opportunity to build the go-to-market strategy for a product at this inflection point, with this team, is exactly the kind of challenge I get excited about. 

“Brand is more important than ever before. It’s my job to make sure TRA Tracking is top of mind for the right people, in the moments that matter so we can do the same for their brands,” she adds.

Both appointments are effective immediately.