MRS management

Mattinson takes up the role of president at MRS during the organisation’s 80th anniversary year, making it the world’s oldest professional body for research and insights.

Deborah Mattinson, president, MRS, said: “This is an exciting time to be joining the MRS team – with its 80 years of success in guiding us through a hard-to-predict future. Our sector’s remarkable resilience is due to our continued relevance, and, right now, our unique skillset is needed more than ever. In a fast-changing world, information is power. Looking at the next 80 years, market researchers will continue to thrive by flexing their muscles and translating information into insight and strategy. We’ll relish the challenge.”

Jane is responsible for the leadership of MRS. Jane was previously at HM Revenue & Customs where she developed and led the individual customer function and the behavioural evidence and insight unit.
Before moving to HMRC in 2006, she held senior roles in both public and private sector organisations including Shell, Unilever, the Department of Constitutional Affairs and the BBC, where she was responsible for the iconic 'Perfect Day' campaign which, as well as winning advertisement of the year, raised £2.5m for Children in Need.

Rebecca Cole is Managing Director of Cobalt Sky, an award-winning market research operations company specialising in online data collection and data processing. She joined Cobalt Sky as a graduate in 2006 and is a highly experienced web scripter and quantum programmer. As well as being on the main board of the MRS, Rebecca chairs the MRS Representation in Research steering group and has spent over 10 years on the board of the Association for Survey Computing (ASC) which she now co-chairs.

Elaine’s career began with interviewing and recruiting in Manchester, before moving to London to work as an Office Junior in a boutique Qual agency. From there she moved through a variety of roles including trainer and centre manager for a CATI unit, through to a pure Qual fieldwork company where she held senior positions.

She is a keen advocate for all things Field and Ops and supports initiatives to raise the bar on quality and how we treat participants and research partners across the industry. She is also a co-founder of Silver Insights Generation (SIGn) promoting age diversity and inclusion in Insight.

Additionally, Elaine is a Market Research Benevolent Fund Trustee and is a judge for the Operations Awards, and the AQR Parker Prize for Emerging Talent. She also sits as a Fellow on the MRS Disciplinary Authority.

Geoff is an independent research consultant, having previously spent a number of years as a Research Director at Synovate and Ipsos MORI. A passionate exponent of qualitative research, he has also spent time clientside and in key account management. He is Chair of the Market Research Standards Board.

No Biography Available

Seema has over two decades of media research experience encompassing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Having worked in publishing for the majority of her career she has specialised in working with commercial, marketing, subscription and editorial teams.

Seema has a passion for building bespoke research functions within organisations focusing on commercial outputs, an area that is constantly evolving.

Currently, at The Economist, she leads a group research function which focuses on growth, retention and product development across B2C and B2B business units. Previously she led research teams at Future Plc and Dennis Publishing Ltd.

Liz is Chief Executive Officer, Elizabeth Norman International.

Liz began her career in market research with IBM, where she was part of a pioneering team assessing the viability of PCs—an early indication of her instinct for identifying opportunity. After roles in media analytics with Media Audits, Liz sought a more people-focused path and, in 1985, entered recruitment. She founded Elizabeth Norman International (ENI) in 1989 to champion talent across the evolving Insight industry.

Driven by a commitment to diversity and inclusion—shaped by her own experience as a dyslexic professional—Liz created ENI to help individuals find roles that reflect their strengths and passions. Today, ENI operates globally from its London base, recruiting across Market Research, Data Analytics, UX, CX, and beyond.

As CEO, Liz oversees training, strategy, and marketing. She is also the founder of SIGn (Silver Insights Generation), an initiative to promote the value of professionals over 50 in the Insight sector.

Trained by Unilever’s Global Best Practice Leaders in Qual, Quant, Shopper, Ethnography, logistics and stakeholder management, Hannah has spent 18 years working for the world’s biggest brands: from Reckitt to Kia, HSBC to Pepsico, she’s had the opportunity to work in over 40 countries.

Unusually, her experience equally spans R&D, Sensory, Brand and Category research – although she holds a personal passion for innovation projects – NPD or methodological innovation, founding The Campaign Real Innovation (and building a reputation for getting things done!)

Having worked in fieldwork and recruitment as well as in senior research and commercial roles, Hannah understands the needs of multiple areas of our industry and values them all.

She spent her career at award winning agencies – learning every step of the way - Blue Yonder, Kokoro and then One Minute to Midnight, before finding her home as Senior Research Director at SAM Research.

Sam Salama is Insights Lead at the Met Police, where his focus is improving the effectiveness of the Met’s comms & engagement. Prior to this he spent several years agency side, working with global brands across a range of mixed methods projects. He is also the founder of Uncommon Thread, a free library of inspiration that helps researchers access creative thinking.

James is the Global Head of Marketing Effectiveness at The LEGO Group where he is spearheading a game-changing approach to directly drive business growth through the application of insights. He has extensive experience in the insights space, having worked in fieldwork, full-service insights, media agency insights and for the past 7 years within brands. His career has had a particular focus on people development and advancing the role of insights as a business growth catalyst. In recent years he has launched a transformational MMM programme, an Insights Academy, a new Innovation approach centred on insights, a MiniMBA in insights in partnership with UCL (with over 2,000 non-insights colleagues enrolled) and a hot-housing career development programme for insights high-performers.

Adrian Sanger is Global Head of Shopper at DVJ Insights and a long-time contributor to the research and insights industry. He also runs Spinsight Consulting, supporting agencies and start-ups as they sharpen their offer and grow.

Daniel is Commercial Director at Yonder Data Solutions who are a trusted fieldwork and data collection company and is an active member of the steering committee for Colour of Research who are a hub for all things concerning ethnic diversity with the industry, represents CORe on the MRS EDI Council and Chairs the MRS Representation in Research Committee. Daniel has over 20 years of experience in the research industry internationally having worked in cities such as Sydney, Beijing and back home here in London.

The majority of Daniel’s career has been on the operational/panel/project management side and commercial side of businesses focussed on managing teams and delivering research to all sectors. Having lived and worked in different countries and cultures, Daniel is a strong advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion.

Georgie White, CMRS, is a commercially-driven leader with deep expertise in customer, insight, data, and commercial strategy. As Director of Customer Insight at NatWest, she leads the transformation of insight capabilities to fuel business growth. Previously Chief Customer Officer at Holland & Barrett, Georgie has delivered strong commercial results and led high-performing teams across major brands including BT/EE, British Gas, Hive, Capital One, and Merrill Lynch.

She sits on the Market Research Society Board, chairs its Senior Client Council and is a member of the EDI council, and champions inclusive leadership, building teams that drive lasting value for customers and business.