Prism celebrate 25 years of enabling statistical excellence

This year marks a very special anniversary for us here at Prism Training & Consultancy as we turn 25 years old. It’s an achievement we’re all incredibly proud of… and one we hope you’ll excuse us for shouting about!

Co-founded by Dr Paul Nelson and Ian Macpherson in 2000, the company has grown from humble beginnings operating out of a dining room in Cambridgeshire into a global provider of statistical advice, statistics training and software sales. We’ve supported over 200 clients in this time, whilst remaining 100% independent, and continue to be committed to empowering organisations and individuals to harness the power of their data.

“The drive to demystify the complexities of statistics to businesses and professionals has been a core motivation within the company since its inception,” explains co-founder and Technical Director Dr Paul Nelson. “Over the last 25 years, it has been a pleasure to have supported a wide range of industries, receiving praise not only for the technical expertise we’ve provided, but also for the personalised approach we take to ensure our clients are making the most of the data they’re generating.”

We have always keen to describe ourselves as being “proven, effective, flexible and transparent” across everything we do; after all, we recognise that each customer faces their own unique challenges that need their own unique solutions. For 25 years we have been committed to approaching and delivering these solutions in both an innovative and practical way; whether that’s tailoring our hands-on training workshops for both on-site and online delivery to any industry; ensuring consultancy support is scheduled promptly and managed via easy-to-use project management tools; or developing in-house a range of statistical tools – from basic statistics to 3D PCA visualisation – that are freely available to use via our website.

“We’re delighted to reach this milestone,” says Andrew Macpherson, Prism’s Managing Director. “A lot has happened over the last 25 years; events like the global financial crash of the late 2000s and the COVID-19 pandemic really re-wrote how business provide their services. Throughout these years we’ve had to adapt and evolve the company to ensure we can continue to meet our customer’s changing requirements, to ensure that now, in 2025, we remain a trusted provide of statistical support services to hundreds of clients worldwide.”

We believe our on-going longevity isn’t just down to the services we provide. It’s also down to the relationships we’ve built. Along with several long-time clients and customers who have been with us since our earliest years of operation, we’ve also been lucky enough to work closely – and partner with – statistical software companies such as Stat-Ease, Inc., Minitab and JMP, whose programs and packages we champion for allowing customers to turn their data into actionable insights.

“Equally,” explains Business Director Chris Challis, “Prism is only as strong as the people who make it up, and over the last 25 years we’ve benefitted from the experience and know-how of a wide range of expert consultants and associates. It’s important to highlight that it’s not just knowledgeable statisticians that make up the our team; we have scientists, chemometricians, engineers, software developers, scripters, marketers and salespeople from a range of industries and sectors available to provide our burgeoning portfolio of support services. Whether clients are developing a new vaccine, seeking software guidance or working on medical devices, when they choose Prism they immediately gain access to this wealth of expertise and Industry experience; I believe this is one of the most important elements to the company’s on-going success”.

So, what’s next for Prism? Whilst we’re planning on another 25 years of business, for now our focus is on this special year. We’ll be marking our anniversary via public training workshops and events, appearances and presentations at a number of conferences across Europe, and a number of special offers for customers throughout the year. If you’d like to learn more about our plans, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.