Hester joins Occam from the BBC World Service where he was head of international research.
His appointment, which follows a management buy-out earlier this year, will see him work closely with managing director Scott Logie and commercial director Jim Baggett.
At Occam, Hester will be tasked with ensuring brand consistency and quality control across all areas of the business.
According to Logie: "I am delighted to have Richie join Occam, he will add his big brain to the excellent management team we already have and will help Occam develop its market offering to further grow our already highly successful business."
While at the BBC World Service, Hester was responsible for audience research, measuring the media habits of the World Service's global audience, and driving the move from audit to insight, focusing more on listener needs rather than purely listener numbers.
Prior to joining the BBC, Hester worked at British Airways for thirteen years in areas including marketing strategy, customer insight and relationship marketing.
Hester said: "I am looking forward to the challenges ahead at Occam and have been very impressed by the levels of expertise and commitment I have witnessed so far. Most importantly, I am keen to play a part in helping the consumer receive communications which are both relevant and well targeted."
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