I am an experienced and passionate Consumer Insights leader and change agent with a focus on Youth and Family. With more than 20 years leading insights teams, I am well-versed in fostering a strategic insights organization, have strong interpersonal skills and a proven track record developing an excellent network, building trust and working collaboratively with executives, cross-functional partners and vendors to drive brand growth. I am known for my grit and perseverance to thrive in a fast-paced, high-volume environment with diverse and complex work. I am intellectually curious and has a love of learning. My Core Competencies include:
◊ Subject matter expert in toys, gaming, and kids’ story development (TV, OTT, Film, Publishing, etc.)
◊ Customer-centric, business and global mindset
◊ High degree of comfort managing multiple stakeholders and team members
◊ Inspires and influences strategic, product and marketing decisions
◊ Deep knowledge of Insights solutions and methods
◊ Uses agility, creativity and ingenuity to develop solutions to complex problems
◊ Track record of developing, training and inspiring research teams, empowering their abilities
When I'm not working, I mentor young professional women through Women in Research and YearUp students starting their careers. In addition, I enjoy exploring my family genealogy, traveling, reading and spending time with family and friends.
Jessica Irwin has over 20 years of experience in being the voice of the consumer and the shopper for her business partners. She is passionate about using data to drive the business including everything from new product development to the digital experience to the communications that support those products and experiences. Currently at Verizon, she leads the insights teams that run tracking, brand & communications, CX/NPS, and all DIY platforms for both Consumer & B2B.Pre-Verizon, Jessica worked at Nestlé Nutrition on the Gerber brand where she led the research and testing for a Gerber Baby logo evolution and a revolutionary package design. Prior to that, she worked at Saatchi & Saatchi X where she managed a wide range of Shopper Insights projects for major CPG companies and retailers. Over the years, Jessica has spoken many times at the Path to Purchase Institute and has been a member of their Faculty. She is currently an active member of Women in Research and is a mentor to many early-career researchers. Jessica has a BA in International Studies from Towson University and an MBA from The University of Pittsburgh, Katz Graduate School of Business.
Executive with extensive experience in market research and business intelligence, currently leading the Latin America business unit at Toluna, dedicated exclusively to serving Research Institutes and Consulting Firms.
With over 20 years in executive roles across the Americas and Latin America, she has overseen Sales, Marketing, and Operations in technology, research, and data analytics companies such as Cegedim Strategic Data, IMS Health (now IQVIA), Netquest, Institute for International Research, and currently Toluna.
Her expertise in planning and developing projects using data collection and analysis methodologies, strategic insights, and the application of AI in market research positions her as a reference in maximizing data quality and generating deep, actionable insights to drive business decisions.
Karen is an independent qualitative research consultant with 30 years of experience in the field. She's an active member of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) with "Advance" status, currently serving as Chair of the Creativity & Innovation Special Interest Group and working as a Feature Editor for QRCA Views. She is passionate about creativity & innovation: in 2016, the Next Gen Marketing Research group and WIRe (Women in Research) presented her with the Disruptive Innovator Award for her co-creation of a new qualitative research method.
Katie Egge is a passionate market research professional who thrives on maximizing value for her clients and supporting the next generation of market researchers.
As a member of NAILBITER, Katie currently works as Vice President of Client Services. Her goal is to develop outstanding client relationships by bringing relevant methods to clients that will drive long-term benefits for their business. In addition to her work at NAILBITER, Katie is the Co-Chair for the Boston Chapter of Women In Research and the Assistant Sponsorship Coordinator for the New England Insights Association.
When not coordinating market research, Katie enjoys tabletop board games, training her dog (Kirby) in agility sports, and performing aerial silks up to 30 ft. in the air!
Katrina Noelle is principal of KNow Research, an Insights consultancy based in San Francisco that has been designing custom research initiatives for clients by combining methodologies from traditional in-person research with digital approaches since 2003 She is also co-Founder of Scoot Insights, who’s trademarked Scoot Sprint approach helps decision-makers choose the right direction. Katrina relishes the opportunity to empower and support talented women on her team and in her network of expert partners. She believes in the ability, empathy, strength and drive of women in Insights and works to bring out those qualities in others.
As Owner & Director of The Band Consultancy, I lead a team of experts in user/qualitative research, psychology, brand strategy, and insight storytelling. My passion is helping companies design, plan, and innovate to grow their business. For the past 12 years, my expertise has been focused on designing a humanized approach to participant recruiting, implementing non-traditional qualitative research methodologies, and bringing impactful insights to business innovation pipelines.
Laura Chaibi is a seasoned marketing and insights practitioner who built her career on ground breaking new mediums and media.
More than $200m of global insights have been managed under her watchful eye across primary research, marketing effectiveness, measurement, commercial forecasting, syndicate data and intelligence projects at a company and industry level.
As an early pioneer in digital, she helped build the commercial and content measurement industry; from spearheading cross screen media measurement through to being a technical committee member for digital media using panel, tagged and census level data solutions worldwide. Her first patent submission was in 2012 focused on user centric advertising innovation. She was also a founding member of IPA touchpoints cross media planning.
She was classically trained in research at the BBC and has cut across many mediums working for AOL, Orange France Telecom, Yahoo, and Roku, leading Advertising Marketing and Insights to drive the next generation of CTV advertising internationally.
Winning many industry awards along the way, and leading teams in over 10 countries, she meshes the best of both marketing and insights and was commissioned by Econsultancy to author a best practice guide on digital transformation and the role of data.
Laura is CIM qualified and has been active on the WIRe board since 2017. She remains dedicated to helping up and coming talent become great achievers of tomorrow.
Originally from Vancouver, Canada, she’s currently in the UK having lived in Australia, Greece, North Africa and the UAE.
As founder and CEO of Logica Research, Lilah is driven to help organizations use research to improve people's lives and drive business growth. Logica Research excels in creating customized research solutions that spark brand engagement, launch products and services, and establish thought leadership programs and media coverage.
Logica's client list includes Fortune 500 companies, non-profits and start-ups. Insights have been published in the largest media outlets in the world including the New York Times, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today.Logica Research is also the author of the Future of Money Study. The Future of Money Study highlights the consumer mindset around how we make, spend, save, and invest. The study highlights generational differences and speaks to the next generation of Gen Zers, whose oldest members are now adults entering the work force and managing money. Check out our Future of Money Study here, https://logicaresearch.com/future-of-money/
Lilah is an active speaker and writer on the Future of Money, and the Future of Work, customer engagement, and insights communication. Lilah is an engaged member of Women in Research (WIRe) and the Forbes Business Council. Logica is a certified woman-owned business.
Lisa Horwich is the founder of Pallas Research Associates, based in Seattle, Washington. Pallas focuses on B2B research primarily for the tech industry. Lisa started her research career as a quant researcher but found she really enjoys talking to people rather than crunching numbers. Prior to her career in market research, Lisa spent time in software development as well as ERP system integration. She currently co-chairs the B2B SIG for QRCA and is the past president of the Puget Sound Research Forum. Lisa has spoken widely on technology topics and has been published in Research World and Greenbook. In her spare time, she practices martial arts, is a voracious reader and loves to bake treats.
Lori believes that market research, done well, can arm executives with the right information to make their 'gut instinct' right, more often. She doesn't just deliver insights, she delivers a robust, cross-industry and forward looking approach to research. Lori engages in research projects in UX, product design, pricing behavior, customer journeys, segmentation, thought leadership, and brand equity. Lori has worked with start-ups, emerging companies, and Fortune 100 clients across Canada and the United States, and has conducted research globally. Her experience is in technology, communications, finance and insurance, as well as social research in health and agriculture.Lori is also an experienced public speaker, having taken the stage at several national #MRX conferences (including FestNewMR, MRIA, MRMW, and Quirks). She also serves as adjunct faculty teaching market research methods and business communications at the college level.
Expert in market research & innovation. In constant search for new inspirations. International entrepeneur who promotes cultural exchange and diversity as added value in itself. Visionaire, passionately nurtured by creativity, inspired by latest technology advances. Curious, intuitive, open minded tenacious business leader with strong startegic commercial international consulting background.
Mario Carrasco is the co-founder and principal of ThinkNow, an award-winning cross-cultural research technology company. He is a dedicated champion of diversity and inclusion, embodying these values in both his professional and personal endeavors.
Under Mr. Carrasco’s co-leadership, ThinkNow has driven numerous groundbreaking initiatives to amplify the voices of underrepresented and underserved communities. Notably, they launched DigaYGane.com, one of the largest and most representative Hispanic online panels in the insights industry. Additionally, through a strategic partnership with Semasio, ThinkNow launched ThinkNow Audiences, making zero-party multicultural data available on all major demand-side programmatic platforms. Over 100 global brands have increased their reach by up to 70% using ThinkNow Audiences. The company also launched ThinkNow Synthetic, a synthetic sample solution integrating AI methodologies to enhance the accuracy, speed, and cost-effectiveness of quantitative research.
His impact extends beyond unveiling disruptive technologies that transform cultural conversations. He takes his activism from the C-suite to Main Street, contributing articles to and being cited in national publications like Forbes, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Fortune Magazine, MediaPost, eMarketer, and Quirk's Magazine. He also launched The New Mainstream podcast, where he invites CMOs and DEI executives from leading global brands to engage in insightful conversations about diversity and inclusion.
Mr. Carrasco has been recognized for his achievements. In 2022, he received the Insights Association's Laureate Certification as part of the IPC (Insights Professional Certification) program. This lifetime recognition honors outstanding members of the Insights community, distinguished by meaningful contributions that have advanced the profession. In 2023, Mr. Carrasco was elected Chair of the SampleCon Board of Directors. He was named the Next Gen Market Research (NGMR) 2018 Industry Change Agent of the Year and, in 2017, received the SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He is also an SBA Emerging Leader recipient and a Stanford Latino Entrepreneur Institute Graduate. He holds a Master’s in Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the USC Marshall School of Business. Most recently, in November 2023, he was awarded the WIRe MRX Diversity Champion award by WIRe, recognizing his contributions to diversity and inclusion in market research.
Within ThinkNow, Mr. Carrasco and the executive team champion diversity, and the numbers speak for themselves. Forty-one percent of ThinkNow’s staff is female, with 57% holding leadership positions. Moreover, 79% of ThinkNow’s staff represent diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, exemplifying the company’s steadfast commitment to fostering an inclusive and representative work environment—one that starts at the top.
Mathilde is Executive Vice President of Global Operations at Toluna. Mathilde joined Toluna in 2005 and grew her team from 3 employees in a single location to around 700 team members worldwide. Over the past 16 years, Mathilde has been instrumental in defining and implementing the company’s operations strategy and has been actively involved in the due diligence and integration of four acquisitions.Prior to joining Toluna, Mathilde was a Project Manager at Ciao Survey Solution. Before that, she was a Promotion and Communication Manager at the French Centre for Research on Contemporary China. Mathilde holds a Masters degree in International Relations and Political Sciences from Sciences Politique.
