Who We Are
We may not be the best-looking researchers around, but we are the smartest. And fortunately for our clients, our real-world business experience means we speak their language and understand their challenges. We also make good dinner guests. Our leadership team includes:
Sterling Lanier, President
San Francisco, CA
As the founding principal of Chatter, Sterling has worked extensively with a host of the biggest brands in business. His areas of brand and research expertise include new product and brand development, brand positioning and implementation strategy, consumer motivation audits, customer experience design and communication strategy. Under his guidance, Chatter has become one of the leading voices in consumer-driven branding.
Prior to founding Chatter, Sterling was a senior consultant at Prophet Brand Strategy, where he helped lead global strategy engagements for such companies as Audi, UBS, Wells Fargo and BMC Software. Before joining Prophet, he was the Director of Brand Development at Tattoo Marketing, where he formulated domestic and international marketing strategies and tactics for clients such as Gap, Monsanto, Sears and Purina.
Sterling holds a BA from Duke University and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA.
Dan Lazar, Managing Partner
Los Angeles, CA
Dan Lazar is the Managing Partner of Chatter's Los Angeles Office. In this role, he advises many of the world's most respected brands, including Sony, Disney, Discovery Channel, Leapfrog, Logitech, The Los Angeles Times and Holiday Inn. Dan is a noted expert and speaker on both consumer insights and brand strategy.
Prior to Chatter, Dan served in brand management at Activision, where he helped manage two of the videogame industry's biggest brands: Call of Duty and Shrek. Prior to Activision, he worked as a management consultant at Deloitte & Touche, servicing AT&T, Phelps Dodge and several other Fortune 500 clients.
Dan holds a BA from University of California, Davis and an MBA from the Marshall School of Business at USC.
Lee Lodes, Managing Partner
New York, NY
Lee is the Managing Partner of Chatter's New York Office. He has a proven track record of providing clients across a wide range of industries with a deep understanding of business issues, rich consumer insights and rigorous analysis.
Prior to Chatter, Lee spent 15 years in senior-level positions in brand strategy consulting and agency account planning working for some of the most successful businesses in the world. Most recently he was the Global Planning Director at Euro RSCG, where he helped launch an Effie Award winning advertising campaign for Charles Schwab and a new global campaign for ExxonMobil. Before that, he led the strategic planning initiatives for the consumer division of Bank of America while at Deutsch advertising in New York.
Lee was also one of the original principals at Prophet, and was a Group Account Director at Interbrand.
Lee holds a BA in Economics from University of California, Los Angeles and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA.
Jessica Clark, COO
Jessica Clark is the Chief Operating Officer of Chatter. In this role, she manages all of Chatter's business operations including finance and accounting, human resources, marketing and strategy — all functions that have proved vital in supporting Chatter's rapid growth.
Prior to Chatter, Jessica was a Principal at Mercer Consulting where she led large engagements for clients such as Hewlett-Packard and Callaway Golf. Jessica also worked at Prophet Brand Strategy as a Senior Consultant where she managed branding and strategy projects for clients in a wide variety of industries. Before joining Prophet, she was a Project Manager at Zia, a litigation consulting firm where she formulated financial analysis to support various business disputes.
Jessica holds a BA in Economics from University of California, Davis and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA.