From helping startups define their branding, content, and product development strategies, to assisting CPG giants like Procter & Gamble and Nestle with large-scale innovation projects, Monica’s 20 years of marketing and consumer insights is truly expansive. One common thread throughout her career has been putting the consumer first.

At MANSCAPED, Monica has built and now leads the Consumer Insights department providing strategic and actionable insights to fuel the company’s rapid global growth. With a passion for consumer-led brand building, Monica helps inform the organization’s strategic decision-making and monitors the overall health of the brand.

Mercedes is a Principal at Ipsos Strategy3, and leads the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practice. With foundational experience as a brand strategist, she also advises brands on how to authentically embed DEI within their core brand strategies.

She has past experience in entrepreneurship, digital commerce and product management, and has led some of the top consumer brands such as Google, Coca-Cola, Life Fitness, and IBM in launching new products, developing digital innovation, and positioning them as leaders in the market.

She believes that brand success resides not just through the products they create, but through the humans they serve - by creating value and a sense of belonging at every touchpoint within their experience. Although she only likes her weather warm and sunny, Mercedes remains fiercely committed to her hometown of Chicago. She holds an undergraduate degree in Biology from Xavier University of Louisiana, and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.

Danielle Blugrind is a Senior Consumer Insights Manager with the #1 TV Streaming Platform in the US, Roku. She is responsible for qualitative and quantitative research on products, positioning, pricing, promotions, shopper research, and all efforts designed to bring more consumers onto the Roku streaming platform. Danielle has other client-side experience at Mattel and Taco Bell and also spent a decade as an independent market research consultant and qualitative moderator for clients in apparel, restaurants, tech, finance, and more. She currently works from home with her two dogs and three cats.

Luke brings to the table more than a decade of experience as a Product Management leader in industries including insurance and financial services, identity management and protection, and healthcare. He thrives on understanding customer and business needs and transforming those needs into products and services that thrill users and solve problems.

As President of maslansky + partners, Lee advises industry associations, non-profit organizations, and Fortune 500 corporations such as google, Nike, Bank of America, Fidelity, The Coca-Cola Company, Toyota, ExxonMobil, Merck, Pfizer, and Starbucks on what language and messaging they should use to best connect with their audiences. Her expertise is grounded in decades of real-world experience in marketing, communication, political campaigns, and audience research. She is guided by the simple idea that it’s not what you say that matters, it’s what your audience hears™.

How CEOs, companies, and entire industries communicate – whether during crises, in advertising and public relations campaigns, or with investors, Congress or the general public – often means the difference between success and failure. Clients across sectors work with Lee to find the right language to change behavior and drive results.

Lee has a deep expertise in research and messaging and has worked on a wide range of challenges across some of the best-known brands including:
· Corporate reputation and brand messaging strategies
· Master narratives for parent and sub brands
· ESG, CSR, Sustainability, and DEI narratives
· Positioning and messaging for a diverse range of investment products and offerings
· Training for Financial Advisors, Wholesalers, and communicators on messaging and language strategies
· Crisis response playbooks
· Messaging strategies for client experience and customer service

As a regular contributor to Fox News, Fox Business, Yahoo Finance, and MSNBC, Lee also provides unique insights into business news and US politics. Unlike most commentators, she doesn’t rely on traditional polling; rather, she analyzes voters’ emotional responses to help her understand voter and consumer engagement and sentiment on a deeper, more visceral level. The reaction matters, but the “why” behind it matters more. Her analysis accurately predicted the results of the 2016 primaries and general election.

Lee is the author of the book Persuasion: Convincing Others When Facts Don’t Seem to Matter (Penguin Random House) and serves on the board of the National Head Start Association, SBP, and Intangic. She is a fellow of the National Committee on US-China Relations Young Leadership Forum and lives with her family in New York.

Kathy founded Nexxt Intelligence with 20+ years of global market research experience, and a conviction that quantitative research could be improved by adding a qualitative dimension and using qualitative principles of building rapport, engagement, projection, and probing to deliver deeper insight at scale. That’s the motivation behind inca, Nexxt Intelligence’s Conversational AI platform for Qual x Quant insight.

Melanie began serving as CEO of the Insights Association on January 1, 2020. Previously Melanie served as Executive Vice President, Research Science & Data Strategy at Dynata. A respected, passionate voice on market research trends, standards and quality, Melanie has participated in many industry organizations, events and initiatives. She serves on the executive board of the University of Georgia’s MRII Education program and is an active member of Women in Research (WIRe). Previously Melanie served as President of IA’s Southwest Chapter and as a U.S. representative to ESOMAR. Melanie has spent more than two decades designing, executing, and interpreting research for agencies and corporations, having started her career at a full-service research firm where she gained a strong research background. For the past decade, Melanie has developed expertise in all forms of digital research including online, mobile and social. Beginning in 2011, Melanie served as EVP, Global Client Services at Research Now and worked in roles of increasing responsibility in the years following the company’s merger with SSI and subsequent renaming as Dynata. Dynata is the world’s largest first-party data and insights platform with a reach that encompasses 60+ million consumers and business professionals globally and serves nearly 6,000 clients.

Pascal, one of Caplena’s Co-Founders and Machine Learning Engineer, combines deep AI development in Natural Language and Computer Vision with vast experience in bringing AI technology into products. Pascal developed patented AI software for one of the largest insurance software providers in the world before founding Caplena. He holds a master’s degree in interdisciplinary sciences from ETH Zurich.

Kerry is the President & Founder of Research Narrative, an insights and strategy agency founded in 2011. An expert in creating data-driven stories that drive business and content strategy, Kerry has collaborated with renowned media, technology, and education brands such as Netflix, Disney, Amazon, Discovery, NPR, YouTube, Verizon, and UCLA to cultivate engagement, launch multi-platform strategies, build leading brand portfolios, and develop strategic plans. A vocal advocate for multicultural strategy and research design, she was awarded the Insights Association’s “2022 IA Laureate” designation for her work in championing representation in research and launching the Multicultural Insights Collective.

Prior to launching Research Narrative, Kerry was Vice President of Research & Analytics for Joost Media, an online video destination and video ad network. She previously served as Vice President of Research at media research and consulting firm SmithGeiger and was the co-founder of filmBUZZ, a market research firm serving the independent film community. Kerry began her career in the Youth and Education division of Harris Interactive, collaborating with universities and educational service providers to identify opportunities to maximize student performance, satisfaction, and retention.

An advocate for arts education, Kerry previously served as Vice President of the Board of Directors for CHAMPS Charter High School, a Los Angeles-based media and performing arts high school chartered by the LAUSD. She holds an MBA from The Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA and received her B.S. in Biometry and Statistics from Cornell University. She moonlights as a hip-hop dancer, spouse to an award-winning craft brewer, and dog mom to a manipulative Blue Heeler named Barleigh.

In his leadership role at The Hartman Group, David oversees market segmentation and survey research to track trends in eating, health, wellness and sustainability for food manufacturers and retailers. He has a special interest in leveraging consumer insights to advance healthy eating in the U.S. Prior to joining Hartman, David directed product development and marketing research for pioneering online music and streaming video services. He has previously engaged audiences at a variety of conferences including IIR's Market Research Event, Ad:Tech and the Advertising Research Forum. David studied philosophy at Princeton University and political geography at the University of Washington.

Digital marketing executive with experience building high-performance teams that drive brands in competitive consumer environments. Hands-on experience with acquisition marketing, cross-channel attribution, agency management and SaaS platform integrations to create unique digital experiences. Passionate about discovering data-driven insights that guide growth-oriented product and marketing decisions.Digital marketing executive with experience building high-performance teams that drive brands in competitive consumer environments. Hands-on experience with acquisition marketing, cross-channel attribution, agency management and SaaS platform integrations to create unique digital experiences. Passionate about discovering data-driven insights that guide growth-oriented product and marketing decisions.

Michelle leads the McDonald’s Global Insights, Analytics and Data Science organization, where her team connects data and human truth with business strategy to drive growth.

Previously, Michelle served at Mars Wrigley, where she pushed the boundaries of Martech and Digital Adoption to create a more future focused organization with the development of a dedicated Foresight Team. Michelle has 28 years of experience in Marketing, Market Research & Business Development, for several global Fortune 500 Companies including Dell Computers, Clorox, Nestle and Mars. Her knowledge of the latest tools and techniques in customer-first insight generation will lend well to influencing the business and cultural evolution.

Prior to living in Chicago, Michelle had the opportunity to live and work in Europe for four years. In her free time, Michelle loves music, travelling the world, and checking out new restaurants. She hopes to get to 100+ countries in her lifetime.

Kelsey Grell is a seasoned market researcher who graduated from Michigan State University’s MSMR graduate program and has built a career in client-side market research within automotive, education, and apparel industries. She currently supports innovation, product, sustainability, and pricing research engagements for Carhartt.

With a deep knowledge of product development and bringing new products to market, Kelsey brings a unique perspective to applying pricing research to benefit margin maximization opportunities and to support brand growth and innovation. She is regarded as the go-to partner for leveraging creative research techniques to explore and pursue innovative opportunities while ensure the consumer is at the core of all business decisions. Kelsey is looking forward to connecting with other research professionals to discuss opportunities and challenges client-side researchers face based on her experience in a fast-growing business.

Claire serves as both the President and Ipsos' US ESG Country Lead. She recognizes the immense challenges faced by US organizations regarding brand and reputational risk, significant financial implications, and the imperative of meeting stakeholder and regulatory expectations on ESG matters. Her unwavering commitment lies in effecting sustainable change on a global scale by giving voice to individuals and policymakers alike, channeling their perspectives into meaningful ESG actions for clients seeking to make a lasting, positive difference in the world. Her journey began at St. Mary's University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences. Since then, she has amassed a wealth of experience as Chief Client Officer, nurturing a diverse skillset that uniquely positions her to demystify the intricacies of the ESG landscape and guide clients towards achieving successful commercial outcomes. Claire's philosophy centers around amplifying sustainable impact through multifaceted means, including education, community engagement, fostering industry collaboration, and adopting a strategic approach to addressing collective environmental, social, and governance priorities.

Julie Hermann is a Senior Manager of Consumer Insights at Ulta Beauty focused on bringing the consumers’ voice and passion for beauty to life. She has been creating insights connections for over 20 years with experience in a variety of industries including beauty, retail, foodservice and financial. Julie earned her B.S. in Statistics from Northern Illinois University and M.S. in Marketing Analysis from DePaul University. Outside the office, Julie enjoys spending time with her husband, 2 kids and 2 pups. Julie and her 2 Gen Z teens share a passion for beauty and love discovering new products together!

Currently Joe is responsible for leading Forsta's strategic client growth in North America. Prior career positions include leadership and individual contributor roles in Business Development as well as Operations at FocusVision, Kantar (GMI/Lightspeed) and Harris Interactive. He has expertise in Software sales/deployment/management as well as operational execution in the research and experience industry.

Frankie is an Insights Analyst on Escalent's Consumer and Retail team. She is driven by the potential for purpose-driven business to change the world and is passionate about understanding brand intentions and supporting impactful strategy. She has experience in the full scope of research, bringing critical reflection and a holistic perspective to the strategy design and implementation of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research.

As a member of the Insights Association IDEA Council as well as Escalent’s internal DEI Council, her passions center around inclusive research design, making the research industry accessible for early entrants from all backgrounds, and driving Escalent forward in all areas of equity and inclusion.

Having earned her Master of Science in Marketing Research and double bachelor's in Psychology and Marketing from Michigan State University, Frankie is always blending empathy and analytics together in practice.

Amy Maret leads Research and Thought Leadership at HubSpot, a CRM platform that connects everything scaling companies need to deliver best-in-class customer experience. Amy leads her team to explore emerging trends in business growth, with a specific focus on how emerging technologies like AI are shaping the marketplace.

As a passionate thought leader at the intersection of research, marketing, sales, and technology, Amy is dedicated not only to studying the changes that are happening around us, but to helping businesses smoothly navigate the shifting landscape.

Joanne is a Marketing Research Consultant in the Investor Research & Insights Group at Vanguard, focusing on supporting the Personal Investor Research Group. She curates and manages a portfolio of market research projects and programs for enterprise-level internal clients, including Corporate Communications, Offer Strategy and Investment Strategy. Prior to joining Vanguard, she spent much of her career focused on technology markets, including corporate-side stints at HP and Intel.

Judith has worked in the Market Research industry for over 35 years, in many different roles from General Management, Client Account Leadership, Service Development, to Sales and Operations – on a Global and European basis.

She started her career at the British Market Research Bureau working on the TGI and various media measurements, then working at AGB, subsequently TNS where she ran the UK and then global panel division as CEO of ‘Worldpanel ‘ and as Joint CEO of Europanel – a joint venture between TNS and GFK.

Judith was appointed CEO of TNS Europe and then following the WPP acquisition of TNS oversaw the integration of RI and TNS in Northern and Eastern Europe. In 2014 Judith joined Ipsos to run its Access Panel services where she drove service integration into one global entity, launched device agnostic interviewing and programmatic sampling.

In 2016 she took on responsibility for Ipsos’s Operational capability. She retired in 2019 and volunteers for Pilotlight and for the Maple Lodge Nature Reserve. In January 2020 she was appointed as Chair of the Professional Standards Committee for ESOMAR.

Harvey has been developing and executing marketing and revenue operations strategies for more than 10 years. He also has a background in journalism and multimedia production, which has given him the opportunity to create content for media companies and brands like ESPN, Fox Sports and Taco Bell.

Renee is the head of the human-AI integration group at the MIT Sloan School of Management. She is a hands-on practitioner who previously worked for LVMH and Leo Burnett and has advised leaders at Fortune 500 companies including IBM, P&G, Johnson & Johnson, Salesforce, and BMW using her research-backed frameworks for transforming CX with behavioral science. She studies the science behind choice, then applies her winning strategies in real-world settings with powerful results.

Kelsy Saulsbury, Associate Director of Market Research & Pricing at Johnson & Johnson Vision, leads global strategic insights and value-based pricing strategy and analytics for the surgical vision business supporting cataract and refractive surgery. Kelsy is passionate about enabling data-driven decisions across organizations and creating compelling stories that bring insights to life and make them more impactful. Previously, Kelsy led Consumer Insights & Analytics for Schwan’s Home Service where she spearheaded creating research that focused on the consumer experience.

Victoria leads the Experience Research team at Verizon, working to understand the experiences of our prospects, customers, and reps across our various products and channel touchpoints for both Consumer and Business. She's committed to bringing the voice of these groups to the table throughout all phases of the design and development lifecycle.

Prior to joining Verizon, Victoria led UX Research teams at Google, driving strategy that impacted over 1B Google Maps users. She designed and executed research programs that led to the launch of a new local explore experience, a redesigned Maps contributor community, and 15x growth in user-generated content volume. She started her research career at Cornell, earning a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction.

She lives in NJ with her two girls, ages 4 and 5, and husband. She's a relentless DIYer who's recently taken to expressing her creativity in the form of cake/cookie decorating and party planning, for her kids of course.

Nicholas has been in the market research industry for over a decade, having worked at both qualitative and quantitative technology companies. At PureSpectrum, he partners with brands and agencies to help them best understand their customers through quantitative research methods and create products and services that meet their wants and needs.

Nicholas is a North Carolina native, living in Wilmington. He attended Appalachian State University for undergrad and later received his MBA from American University in Washington, DC.

Nicole leads the Consumer Insights function for KitchenAid, which operates in over 100 markets around the globe. Prior to that she led Consumer Insights for Barilla America and was responsible for the company’s market research team for the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil. She has also held client and vendor side research roles at companies such as McCain Foods, Millward Brown/Kantar and Catalina Marketing. Nicole is passionate about translating data and trends into meaningful growth opportunities for brands. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University with a concentration in Marketing and Mathematics and her MBA from DePaul University with a concentration in New Product Development/Management.