We just learned yesterday that Ray Wang has decided to leave Forrester Research to join a small strategy consulting firm based in the San Francisco Bay area.  Ray's last day with us will be August 19th.

Ray is one of the highest profile analysts in the industry–with a focus on ERP, order management, CDI and MDM.  To many of us at Forrester he is also a colleague, collaborator and good friend. He is widely known for his unparalleled client service, driving work ethic and intensely competitive streak (in a good way) that led to numerous awards while at Forrester.  We will miss him greatly.

Whenever an analyst leaves, the immediate question many clients have is "who is going to cover Ray's topics?"  There's a short term and longer term answer to that question. We already have a team of analysts who specialize in the areas that Ray has covered and who serve business process and applications professionals.  For example, Paul Hamerman–a colleague on Ray's and my team–will immediately fill the breach by addressing ERP related topics.  Paul has a deep background in ERP and finance and has a long history as an analyst at Forrester.  Rob Karel, another analyst on this team, is our lead specialist in CDI and MDM, so that coverage area will not miss a beat.  And Duncan Jones, based in London, will pick up the contract negotiations mantle, having already covered that topic for numerous sourcing and vendor management professionals.  Also, we have two technology industry analysts in Europe–Holger Fisker and Stefan Ried–who can immediately address many SAP related questions.

In parallel, we will launch a search for an experienced, qualified ERP analyst who will focus on serving business process and applications professionals.  This is a longer term solution simply because it takes time to become an analyst at Forrester.  We don't just let anyone in (smile).

If you are interested in a career at Forrester Research and have a lot of experience in ERP implementations and the business domains that ERP addresses, please contact me at cmoore@forrester.com.  We would love to hear from you.

And please, if you know Ray, extend your best wishes to him.  All the Forresterites wish him the very best!