When Jack Noonan joined SPSS Inc.
in 1992, it was a one-product, one-vision company faced with middling growth, a weight of debt and no real
long-term opportunities.
Its primary product was a software
system that used statistics to turn
raw data into information essential to
decision-making. The
revolutionary statistical software system, called SPSS,
which stood for
Statistical Package for
the Social Sciences,
was developed out of the need to quickly
analyze volumes of survey data.
Managing through the bumpy 2000 tech
decline, Noonan focused on expanding the
product base and uncovering growth
opportunities. It was clear the company
could survive, but not thrive, as a statistical
tools company.
A number of key acquisitions at this time
had also left the company primed for further growth, but unfocused in its market
position. A visionary, Noonan recognized
ahead of the curve the opportunities in
software that could change and improve
business processes by predicting outcomes.
In 2002, he led a strategic planning exercise that coined the term “predictive analytics” and created this new industry. In the
following years, his astute technology and
business insight helped cultivate a marketplace from which the company now reaps
success.
Financial results during the last two years
substantiate Noonan’s leadership, strategy
and execution. SPSS has reported five consecutive quarters of record revenues. In
2006, new licenses were up 16 percent
from the prior year and 30 percent from
2004. Operating income in 2006 was up 13
percent from the year before and 420 percent since 2004.
HOW TO REACH: SPSS Inc., www.spss.com or (312) 651-3123
