About Us
Our Mission: Empowering Customer-Centricity Through Actionable Insights
At BlueHill, we believe that true customer-centricity transcends intuition. It requires a data driven understanding of customer needs, competitive landscapes, and actionable insights to drive meaningful change. We want to empower regional banks and credit unions to achieve this by providing the tools and knowledge curated form them so that they can:
- Uncover hidden customer truths: Go beyond surface-level data to understand the “why” behind customer behaviors.
- Benchmark against the best: Gain a competitive edge by understanding how customer experiences compare across the industry.
- Translate insights into action: Equip businesses with the actionable insights needed to improve customer experiences and drive business growth.
By providing clear and actionable insights, BlueHill helps businesses move beyond customer-centricity as a concept and make it a reality.
Meet the BlueHill Leadership Team
Manuel Moerbach
CEO & Founder
Manuel is the CEO and founder of BlueHill. He is also the CEO of the Plant-A Insights Group. Prior to joining Plant-A, Manuel held various leadership roles in the tech and research industries, including Global CEO of Onclusive, one of the world’s leading media monitoring tech companies (PE owned by STG and Bain Capital). He was also part of the founding team at Statista and held various leadership roles, including Global CSMO and CEO of the Americas and APAC. Manuel is based in New York City.
Karim Lahlou
Head of Research and Analytics
Karim is an experienced research director with expertise spanning the advertising, media, and entertainment industries. His track record includes designing multinational studies, implementing AI-driven measurement systems, and developing proprietary metrics for Fortune 500 clients. As the Head of Research and Analytics, he oversees the Plant-A Insights research agenda, transforming complex data into compelling, human-centered narratives.
Sofie Bertheussen
As Director of Commercial Strategy, Sofie leads sales, marketing, and commercial operations for recognition programs in partnership with Newsweek and USA Today. She manages the sales team, drives go-to-market strategy, and supports clients with award licensing and brand positioning. Sofie holds a Master’s in Entrepreneurship from Babson College and is currently pursuing a second Master’s in Project Management.
Amanda Finn
Associate Director and Enablement Lead
As Associate Director and Enablement Lead, Amanda focuses on award licensing and brand positioning, empowering clients to showcase their successes through esteemed recognitions in collaboration with Newsweek and USA Today. She also plays a key role in shaping and leading training and career development initiatives for the sales team. Additionally, Amanda manages and drives all business development for BlueHill, an advanced benchmarking analytics software. She earned her BA from UCLA, graduating Cum Laude.
Venkatesh Radhakrishnan
Director, Data Analytics
Venkatesh Radhakrishnan serves as the Director of Data Analytics at BlueHill, where he manages Data Management, Analytics, and Automation. He holds a PGP in Business Analytics and Business Intelligence from Great Lakes Institute of Management and IIT Stuart School of Business. Venkatesh specializes in developing ranking systems, dashboards, and risk-scoring engines across industries while streamlining data extraction processes using scrapers and LLMs.
Brian Sullivan
Sr. Advisor – Methodology, Licensing & Sponsorship
As a Senior Advisor to BlueHill, Brian brings 40 years of entrepreneurial business experience and consults on a number of high level aspects including company direction, new products, services and more. Brian holds a degree in Marketing & Economics from St John’s University.
Chinmay Jain
Vice President, Research & Operations
Chinmay oversees research and strategy activities at BlueHill. Prior to BlueHill, he was actively working in the consulting industry. Chinmay holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and completed his Post Graduation in Management for NICMAR. Chinmay also holds a CAPM® certificate from PMI.
James Koenig
As a Key Account Manager on the Recognitions Team for USA TODAY and Newsweek, James Koenig specializes in strategic sales and client partnerships, helping organizations amplify their achievements through prestigious workplace and customer service awards. James holds a degree from Michigan State University and is passionate about connecting businesses with opportunities to showcase their excellence.
Harsh Jindal
Harsh is a market research expert with over 5 years of experience in financial analysis, large data analysis, private equity consulting, and industry analysis. He specializes in leveraging data-driven insights to drive strategic decisions and deliver comprehensive market assessments. Harsh holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from FORE School of Management, New Delhi, and has successfully cleared the CFA Level 1 exam, showcasing his expertise in financial analysis and valuation.
Michelle Blinder
Michelle Blinder is a Key Account Manager on the Recognitions Team for Newsweek, where she focuses on fostering strong client relationships and facilitating opportunities to showcase organizational achievements through notable workplace awards. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University and is dedicated to helping businesses highlight their success.
Pavan Rao
Project Manager
Pavan oversees project planning , research and execution at BlueHill. Additionally, he is also responsible for team coordination and vendor management. Pavan holds an MBA degree in Operations and Marketing from GIM, Goa and B.Tech degree from RVCE. Prior to joining BlueHill, Pavan worked as a management consultant with Deloitte. Pavan is also a certified scrum master.
Paudie Doran
Project Manager
As a Project Manager for BlueHill Insights, Paudie works closely with USA Today and Newsweek, specializing in overseeing key initiatives and ensuring seamless execution of award programs that recognize outstanding customer service and workplace excellence. Originally from Maynooth, County Kildare in Ireland, Paudie holds a degree from Maynooth University and is committed to helping organizations amplify their recognition through prestigous industry awards.
Gayatri Sharma
Project Manager
Gayatri is a recent graduate from Barnard College of Columbia University. At BlueHill, Gayatri works across the intersection of marketing and sales to boost the company’s go-to-market strategy.
Travis Carr
Account Manager
As an Account Manager, Travis plays a vital role in Newsweek’s recognition teams, fostering strong relationships with companies and providing key insights on account positioning. A Virginia Tech graduate, he began his career in creative communications and fundraising within higher education. Now transitioning into publishing and sales, Travis is excited to bring his interpersonal skills and relationship-building expertise to the Plant-A team.
Adnan Latif
Associate Director, Research and Analysis
Adnan oversees the Desk Research and Analysis responsibilities at BlueHill, where he leads a team of research analysts gathering data and providing actionable insights for different projects. He holds an MBA from Institute of Management Technology, Nagpur and a BCom degree from Rajasthan University. He has previously worked with companies like IPSOS and Kantar in their research domain.
Diana Christian
Customer Success Manager
Diana is a seasoned customer service leader with over 14 years of experience in driving operational efficiency, building high-performing teams, and delivering outstanding customer experiences. At BlueHill, she leads with a customer-first mindset, ensuring every interaction reflects the brand’s commitment to quality and care. Her leadership style blends strategic thinking with hands-on support, enabling her to solve challenges quickly while nurturing a culture of excellence. Passionate about elevating customer satisfaction, Diana continuously seeks innovative ways to improve service delivery and streamline processes.
Nupur Kumari
Sr. Customer Success Manager
Nupur is a dedicated Senior Customer Success Manager at BlueHill, where she leads with a customer-first mindset to drive meaningful engagement and long-term client success. Nupur brings a strong foundation in communication, collaboration, and strategic thinking to every interaction. Known for blending empathy with execution, she works cross-functionally to streamline processes, anticipate customers’ needs, and deliver impactful result.
Jefferson Hampton
Key Account Manager
As a Key Account Manager at BlueHill, Jefferson works closely with a range of exceptional companies, specializing in managing high-impact relationships and ensuring the successful execution of strategic initiatives. Jefferson holds a degree from Babson College and is passionate about supporting innovative startups as they scale, collaborate, and lead within their industries. A New Orleans native, he is a strong team player and is always looking to celebrate the team’s success.
Gabriele Stöckl
Independent Advisor
Gabriele supports BlueHill as an independent advisor, where she oversees a variety of aspects in the research team (methodology design, questionnaire design and analysis).
Marion Klocke
Independent Advisor
Marion supports BlueHill as an independent advisor overseeing a variety of aspects on the research team (methodology design, questionnaire design, and analysis). Marion is the CEO and founder of Klocke Research and has over 25 years of experience running consumer research and data insights teams. Marion holds a Master’s degree in economics from the University of Kiel.
