Founded by Henk Pretorius and Elna Pretorius in October 2008, Columinate was established as the first full-service digital research agency in South Africa. The company grew from a living room to employing over 45 consultants in its first 10 years. 

According to the company, the Johannesburg-based team has built a strong reputation of delivering consumer insights with impact to brands across the continent, including Absa and MultiChoice.

"When we started Columinate 12 years ago, it was with the vision to be a leader in digital research," says Henk Pretorius, managing partner of InSites Consulting and managing director of InSites Consulting South Africa.

"When crossing paths with InSites Consulting, we recognised a similarity in vision and approach. Joining forces has levelled up our abilities across the board. Today we are locally ignited and globally fuelled, and [we] can offer our clients impactful and flexible research solutions, while introducing them to the global network and opportunities only available through the InSites Consulting Group," adds Pretorius.

Following its acquisition 18 months ago, Columinate will trade as InSites Consulting South Africa as of February 2020. The Johannesburg office remains the central research hub for the region, aiming to offer the flexibility of a local agency, while providing its clients access to resources and capabilities from the global InSites Consulting network.

"We recognised something special in Columinate; their disruptive approach to marketing research mirrored ours and they proved to be the perfect partner to realise our growth ambitions for the continent," says Kristof De Wulf, CEO of InSites Consulting.

"With the acquisition of Columinate, now known as InSites Consulting South Africa, we have taken a strategic position in Africa and we trust that, together, we will grow from strength to strength and continue offering our clients the best, most innovative solutions the industry has on offer," adds De Wulf.

Designated as one of the 'top 10 most innovative research agencies in the world' and recognised as a Great Place to Work™, InSites Consulting' has also recently acquired Join the Dots and ABN Impact. It now employs over 600 consultants in 17 different countries, across five continents. 

For more information, visit www.insites-consulting.com.