Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) regrets to announce the sudden passing of company President and Chief Operating Officer William M. Bluestein, Ph.D., 44, who died yesterday of an apparent heart attack while on vacation. Chief Executive Officer George F. Colony will assume Bluestein’s operational responsibilities.

“All of us at Forrester are deeply saddened by Bill’s passing,” said Colony. “We have lost not only a tremendous leader but also a very dear friend. We would like to express our deepest sympathies to Bill’s family.”

“Bill’s strong leadership and technology insight greatly contributed to the success of this company,” concluded Colony. “During his more than 11-year tenure at Forrester, Bill was instrumental in the success of many major initiatives. As president, he was a close confidant to me and a respected leader to the entire Forrester team. We will miss him greatly.”

Appointed president in March 2000, Bluestein oversaw Forrester’s domestic and international operations, including its research, sales and marketing, and business development functions. Bluestein’s career at Forrester began in 1990 as an analyst in Forrester’s Computing Strategies research service. He held a number of senior research and executive positions, playing a critical role in establishing Forrester’s position as a leader in emerging-technology research. In addition to directing the rollout of Forrester’s eCommerce research in 1994 and the launch of Consumers & Technographics® in 1997, Bluestein’s accomplishments included overseeing the November 1999 acquisition of UK-based Fletcher Research. Prior to joining Forrester, Bluestein was senior editor at Cahners Publishing, and before that, a market research analyst at Honeywell. Bluestein earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees in economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.