Industry pays tribute to media researcher Glenn Gowen

The media research community has paid homage to Glenn Gowen, who died on 16 May aged 52.

Gowen was most recently at Reach Solutions, where he consulted on media insights projects.

He previously spent 11 years at ITV as head of audiences, commercial. Before that, Gowen was Channel 4’s group head of audience, technology and insight.

A well-known and respected figure, Gowen has won a number of awards for his work, including at the Adwanted Media Research Awards and the Media Research Group Awards, including the 2023 event in Malaga.

A service was held on 2 July to commemorate his life.

Gowen is survived by his wife, Lisa Hull-Gowen.

The family has asked that for those who wish to contribute, they can make a donation to James’ Place via a JustGiving page set up in memory of Gowen.

Tracy Allnutt, business development director, Ipsos Iris

“Glenn was my assistant in TGI when he was just starting out in his career at TGI/BMRB back in the early 1990s. With Rob Laurence as the exec in the team, we made an invincible trio.

“I always will remember how seriously Glenn took his role — he had exceptional focus and was excellent in his attention to detail and delivery on projects, which was what differentiated him from other assistants. I was so proud to see him move on and progress through the industry — I felt like a proud mum!

“I have kept in touch with him on LinkedIn and at various TGI events, so was shocked to hear the news. Please pass on my thoughts and best wishes to his family.”

Martin Greenbank, head of research and measurement, Channel 4

“A very enjoyable and memorable time was when we did the ‘tour’ of the joint Channel 4 and ITV project The Bigger Picture. Before we took the stage together, we tried out a few comical lines to warm up the crowd. Most fell flat instantly, given we were delivering research, not an intro at the comedy club, but one line always worked.

“As we took to the stage, he always apologised for not being a special TV appearance of the Mitchell brothers from EastEnders, but in fact Martin and Glenn, your research hosts. Our bald heads and similar bearded appearance always seemed to get a laugh from a usually younger crowd.

“Glenn had a wonderful dry sense of humour and I will miss him a lot.”

Matt Hill, director of research and planning, Thinkbox

“I didn’t ever work with him directly, but a few things spring to mind.

“First was his incredibly dry sense of humour. When delivering presentations, he was always clear and convincing, but he would throw in a fair bit of dry sarcasm that was delivered so perfectly you didn’t quite know if he was serious or not. So much so that, on a few occasions, I remember laughing at something and he’d look at me with a glint in his eye and enquire about what was funny.

“His MRG presentation with Martin Greenbank completely stole the show one year — I think it was for their Bigger Picture research and, as two middle-aged bald blokes, they’d labelled themselves the Mitchell brothers. I can’t remember any of the gags, but they made a hilarious combo — hopefully Martin can enlighten you with more!

“Most of all, I’ll remember him as an incredible ambassador for TV, an enthusiastic collaborator and a key driver on projects such as CFlight, BVOD Almighty and ITV work such as the fusion project. He was a lovely, kind man and I’m really going to miss him.

“Final thing: he was an incredible photographer and he would often show me some of the landscapes he’d captured. He had a real talent for it — if the family are willing to sell any for charity, I’d love to buy some.”

Rob Laurence, head of Adwanted Connected, Adwanted UK

“When I started out in the industry back in 1994, I was lucky enough to work on the same TGI team as Glenn and what better person could I have asked for to support me and help get me up and running.

“Over the years, Glenn was one of those people who always brought a smile to my face and I know that, like me, many people will miss him.”

Frances Revel-Cooper, head of custom insight, Researchbods

“I wanted to express my sincere personal sadness at the news of Glenn’s passing. I worked with him when I first started at Researchbods as ITV was one of my main accounts and Glenn was my key contact.

“He had a wonderfully dry sense of humour, was very straightforward and transparent to work with and possessed an outward sense of calm even in the most frustrating situations — particularly given this was during the height of the pandemic and we were all stretched and working in a new world order we hadn’t planned for.

“He always felt like he valued his agency partners and treated them accordingly. He was a firm favourite within the team here. I know he was still working with the team at Bods in his short time consulting with Reach and I know many of those in our team who have worked with him over the years were terribly sad to hear the news. He will be missed by the research community for sure.”

Helen Rose, managing partner, the7stars

“On behalf of all of the team here at the7stars, I’d just like to say how very sorry we are and to share our condolences with his family and friends.

“We mostly worked with Glenn during his time at ITV and he was a true expert in his field. I’m sure he’ll be missed by all those who worked with him and knew him.”