The Insighter's Club Podcast

Your insights team has been delivering exactly what the business asked for — faster, cheaper, more efficiently. And that’s precisely what’s putting it at risk. In this episode, we're joined by Nick Rich, co-founder of Growth Constructors and Fellow of the MRS, who held senior insight roles at Carlsberg, IHG, and Nokia before building a firm with one explicit mission: make insights irreplaceable. N...

Why doesn’t more data guarantee better decisions? How can you speed up decision-making without sacrificing rigor? And what practices are setting high-performing retail organizations apart?  In this episode, Ross is joined by Michelle Evans , Global Lead of Retail Insights at Euromonitor International , Forbes contributor, and one of Rethink Retail's top global experts for six consecutive years. Th...

Someone decided that your coffee tastes the way it does…and it wasn't an accident. Behind every flavor that hits a shelf is a web of consumer research, cultural context and calculated risk that has to drive decisions faster than ever. In this episode, we're joined by Basak Oker , Marketing & CSI Director, Europe at Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing, who has spent 18 years at the intersection of f...

Most companies say they’re market-led — so why do decisions still feel slow, reactive, or overly cautious? In this episode of the Insighter's Club Podcast, Ross is joined by Tracy Berry, Founder of Berry Insights, Vice President of the Council of Competitive Intelligence Fellows and former Senior Intelligence Analyst at the U.S. Department of Defense, to explore what truly turns insight into actio...

Your biggest AI risk in 2026 isn’t model collapse. It’s insight teams still acting like report factories in a market that now runs on intelligence infrastructure. In this episode, Ross sits down with Stravito Founder & CEO Thor Olof Philogène to map where the insight function really stands after a year of AI acceleration, failed pilots, and rising expectations. They unpack why AI is no longer...

Insight teams are facing a dangerous illusion: believing technology alone will elevate their influence while culture quietly erodes it. This is the unfiltered, hard-hitting conversation every insights leader needs to hear right now. In Part 2 of this special live episode of The Insighter's Club Podcast, recorded at the Stravito Insights Summit 2025 in Paris, three powerhouse leaders dig into one o...

Insight teams are at a crossroads: stay safe and stay small or claim a seat at the growth table. This is the operating playbook to move from “report factory” to strategic co-pilot. In this special live episode of The Insighter's Club Podcast, recorded at Stravito Insights Summit 2025 in Paris, three trailblazing leaders unpack what it really takes to dismantle silos and hard-wire insights into dec...

Your best insight isn’t getting ignored because it’s wrong; most likely, it’s invisible. If your work keeps dying in inboxes, the problem isn’t the data; it’s the delivery. In this episode, we sit down with Candice Walton from Lloyd’s Banking Group to unpack a non-’buzz’, career-defining topic for senior insights leaders: how to engineer impact. Candice breaks down how her team moved from “answer...

You probably don’t need another study. You need to use the ones you already paid for. Every year, good insights get lost in slide decks, folders, and “we’ll come back to this later.” In this episode, Jake Burghardt , former Amazon research leader, now at IntegratingResearch.com shows how to rescue the gold that’s already in your archive. We talk about why teams keep re-asking the same questions, h...

Consumer data is losing its credibility and it’s not just because of bots. For years, incentivized surveys and outdated methods have been quietly warping the truth, leaving brands guessing about what customers really think. In this episode, Stephanie Clapham , Director of Research at Latana , tells us why the old ways aren’t working and what’s replacing them. She shares how her team is ditching ti...

Insight teams are at a crossroads: stay safe and stay small, or take bold steps to become strategic growth drivers. In this special live episode of The Insighter’s Club Podcast, we bring together three trailblazing leaders who are shaping the future of consumer insights. Recorded at The Stravito Insight Summit in Austin, Texas, Kristi Brown (Chick-fil-A), Michelle Sullivan (Target, General Mills)...

Too often, insight teams are asked to deliver fast answers, neglecting the time, tools, or trust to get them right. The cost of that remains usually invisible – until it’s not. In this episode, Jane Frost CBE , CEO of the Market Research Society, digs into why the true job of insight professionals is synthesis, not exclusively analysis, and what it takes to move from being data providers to truste...

In this special episode, Thor Olof Philogène , Founder & CEO of Stravito , returns to the show to explore the biggest shifts reshaping the insights function in 2025. He and Ross take stock of a turbulent and transformative first half of the year, digging into what it really takes to move from one-off reports to insight systems that inform, influence, and endure. They discuss: The difference be...

Even the smartest insight is useless if it can’t cut through, move people, or drive action. In this episode, Evan Williams , Founder at Perennial Mind and former insights leader at Uber, Mondelēz, and General Mills, breaks down what most insight teams get wrong when trying to make their work stick. Ross and Evan talk about why simplifying insights doesn’t mean watering them down, how AI can help b...

As AI becomes more embedded in decision-making, insight teams face the quiet but urgent challenge of keeping up with tech while proving their strategic value across the business. In this episode, Febronia Ruocco, Global Strategic Insights & Analytics Director, returns to the show to share how the role of insight is evolving in the current AI era. She makes the case for decoupling insight from...

What if the voice of the customer mindset is holding you back? In this episode, Nick Graham , Founder of Vertemis , and former senior insights leader at companies like PepsiCo and Mondelēz, draws on his 20+ years of experience turning insights into business impact. He breaks down why research often fails to land and what shifts you can make to more effectively drive influence. We also discuss: Why...

The most valuable research doesn’t always come from large sample sizes, but from the ability to surface patterns, stories, and moments of clarity. In this episode, Lisa Payne , Global Director of UX Research at Condé Nast , explores how qualitative insights, often overlooked or undervalued, can serve as a critical driver of strategic clarity. She shares how human stories, when surfaced and scaled...

Sound hits the brain faster than sight. Yet most brands focus almost exclusively on their visual identity, neglecting their sonic identity and all its growth potential. In this episode, we are joined by George Holliday and Luke Moseley , founders of Hear Me Out. Together, they explore why sound is one of the most overlooked (and powerful)  tools in brand strategy despite being one of the fastest w...

How much of your time goes into doing the research, and how much into communicating it? If driving impact is the goal, the communication side might deserve more of the spotlight. In this episode, Matt Roberts , VP of Business Intelligence at Formula E , shares lessons from 25 years of leading insights at organizations like Formula 1, Sky Sports, and ESPN. He explores why the real work begins after...

People remember stories. They share stories. They act on stories. But no one remembers 120 slides of data. In this special unscripted episode, journalist-turned-consultant and Founder at EveryRung , Grant Feller joins Ross to explore how insights teams can adopt a newsroom mindset, build narratives that stick, and make their work not just memorable, but actionable. We also cover: The #1 reason ins...

AI is transforming how insights are gathered and applied, allowing researchers to scale qualitative research, detect fraud, and deliver high-impact findings faster than ever. But what does this mean for the future of insight professionals? In this episode, Alfred Wahlforss , CEO & Co-founder at Listen Labs , explores how AI-powered qualitative research enhances traditional methods by improving...

Insights are only as powerful as the action they inspire.  In this episode, we are joined by Will Osborn , Service and Org Design Director & Head of Service Design at frog , part of Capgemini Invent, as he discusses why insights fail and what the industry needs to do differently. Will shares candid takes on blind spots in insights, why context is more critical than data, and why waiting for th...

Insights are no longer just about analyzing data and observations in isolation; they need to be framed within a broader narrative that aligns sales, marketing, and other stakeholders with a truly shared strategic agenda. In this episode, Cristina Marinucci , Global VP, Growth & Omni Commercial Insights at Mondelēz International , explains why it’s essential to take a more holistic approach to...

The future may be uncertain, but your business strategy doesn’t have to be. The secret? Stop predicting and start preparing.   In this episode, Jennifer Brace , Chief Futurist at Ford Motor Company , challenges the way insight professionals think about data, foresights, and the future. She explains the importance of broadening the scope of long-term planning to include external signals, consumer r...

Welcome to the Insighter’s Club. In this new chapter of the Consumer Insights Podcast, we’ll be digging even deeper into the big questions on the minds of insights leaders today. Join host Ross Dempsey as he speaks with a wide range of leaders, innovators and disruptors from across the insights space. Tune in for a sneak peek of what’s ahead, and be sure to subscribe to the Insighter’s Club newsle...