A specialized public affairs practice within a family of companies

Angus Reid is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Washington DC based public affairs research firm Angus Reid Global. He also serves as Chair (and largest shareholder) of Rival Group, a North America research agency with operations in research technology, access panels and full-service research market research in the US and Canada. Rival has been named by the GRIT report as one of the five most innovative research organizations in the US. Reid was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, and received his early education in Vancouver. He earned a B.A. and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Manitoba, and in 1974 he received a Ph.D. in Sociology from Carleton University in Ottawa. Over the past four decades Angus Reid has been the recipient of several awards and honours including a Canada Council Doctoral Fellowship, the National Health Research Scholar Award, the Davidson Dunton Award for Carleton University’s graduate of the year, the Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Services Category), and the annual award of distinction from the Canadian Public Affairs Association. He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Manitoba (1996), Simon Fraser University (2002) and Carleton University (2008) and Corpus Christi College at UBC (2020). In 2010 he was inducted into the Canadian Marketing Hall of Fame. In 2012 the Canadian Sociology Association created the “Angus Reid Award” for outstanding practitioners in applied Sociology in Canada. In 2013 he received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award from Pope Francis for service to the Catholic Church. A speaker, commentator and author, Dr. Reid has delivered hundreds of addresses to professional and business audiences in North America and around the world. In 1996 Doubleday published his Canadian best-seller; Shakedown: How the New Economy is Changing our Lives. The Angus Reid poll on emerging social and political trends is regularly featured in the US, the UK and Australia. Angus Reid was the founding chair of the Canada Center advisory board of the Washington based Woodrow Wilson Center. In 2014 he founded Angus Reid Institute Canada, a not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to independent, non-partisan, freely accessible research on social, economic and political issues. Reid also founded the Canada Monarcha Foundation to support educational opportunities for children in the Baja region. Angus Reid lives in West Vancouver British Columbia with his wife Margaret.

Ed founded the Angus Reid Group in 2018 and led the business until 2026. Prior to his work at the Angus Reid Group, Ed launched the Vision Critical research and consulting practice in 2006. A position he held for 10 years and included 4 years as co-CEO (with Dr. Reid) of Vision Critical Communications. In 2016, Ed led the successful sale of the Vision Critical’s research and consulting practice for $60 million to UK based Primary Capital Partners LLP. Before joining Vision Critical, Ed worked for Ipsos North America in New York as Senior Vice President and became a leading expert in pharmaceutical brand equity and brand management research. Ed started his market research career in Vancouver, BC working with Dr. Angus Reid at the Angus Reid Group in Vancouver where he was responsible for marketing research, advertising research and public affairs research and forecasting. Ed has an BA (Honours) in Economics from Queen’s University in Ontario and an MA in Public Policy from the University of British Columbia. He has appeared on BBC Television, BBC Radio and CBC Television providing insight and commentary on public opinion on diverse business and social issues. He has also written many whitepapers and opinion pieces on various media including several leading peer reviewed academic journals. Ed is a strategic advisor and research consultant to Angus Reid Global.

Matt Kleinschmit is an entrepreneurial executive and innovator, specializing in the growth of interdisciplinary insights, strategy, and technology ventures. As the Founder & CEO of Reach3 Insights since 2018, Matt has led the company to become the #4 most innovative full-service research agency in North America. Under his leadership, Reach3 Insights has become renowned for its modern insight solutions that leverage conversational AI technologies, immersive primary data collection experiences, intelligent data sciences, and dynamic storytelling deliverables. Prior to Reach3, Matt served in leadership positions at Maru, Alida (Vision Critical), GfK, Ipsos and the Angus Reid Group, supporting international Fortune 100 leaders in developing Go-To-Market strategies across the AI/ Technology, Financial Services, Health/ Pharma, Consumer Goods/ Services, e-Commerce, Media and Entertainment industries. Matt graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities as a Presidential Scholar with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Political Science, and is a frequent writer, commentator & public speaker on consumer & citizen behaviors, corporate reputation, brand strategy and disruptive innovation. Matt is a strategic advisor and board member for Angus Reid Global.

Paul Abbate leads business development and marketing for Angus Reid Global, building the firm's U.S. client base across public affairs, corporate communications, and policy. Over three decades at Ipsos Public Affairs, he launched the firm's 28-country Global Advisor tracker, grew the Omnibus business from $5M to $20M, and led a $25M unit through its shift to an AI-powered research platform, winning clients including Meta, Amazon, and McKinsey. Paul is an adjunct professor at Boston College and holds a B.S. in Finance from Babson College.

Natalie began her research career with the Angus Reid Group and has spent more than 25 years in the industry, working across Canada, London, and Washington, D.C. She has led major global research programs for organizations including Google and Microsoft, with deep expertise in public affairs, messaging, reputation, and opinion leader research. At Angus Reid Global, she is building the U.S. public affairs practice, combining the Rival platform's innovation with the rigour of the firm's panel.

Shachi Kurl is the President of the Angus Reid Institute, Canada's leading non-profit organization for independent public opinion research. She is a former political reporter who covered British Columbia politics for outlets including Global Vancouver, CBC Radio, and A News Vancouver Island. She holds degrees in Journalism and Political Science from Carleton University and is an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton's School of Journalism and Communication, as well as a Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa's School of Political Studies (appointed in 2026). Kurl is a frequent media commentator (including on CBC's Power & Politics) and has written for outlets such as the Globe and Mail, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. She is a seasoned debate moderator, having hosted the only televised leaders' debates in the 2020 and 2024 BC provincial elections, the 2021 English-language federal leaders' debate, and the upcoming 2026 BC leaders' debate. She is a recipient of the Jack Webster Award for Best TV Reporting and grew up in Richmond, BC, to parents who immigrated from India.