February 13, 2025 — Los Angeles, CA — Women in Research (WIRe), a global non-profit organization that champions diversity in data, insights, and research, has added four new members to its Advisory Board: Mario Carrasco (Thinknow); Michelle Gansle (McDonald’s); Anita Rao Kapur (former LinkedIn); and Lisa Wilding-Brown (InnovateMR + IvyExec). These new additions to the WIRe Advisory Board will provide critical guidance and insight for the organization as it continues its rapid expansion in the coming year.

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. 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. In 2022, he received the Insights Association's Laureate Certification as part of the IPC (Insights Professional Certification) program and, in 2023, he was elected Chair of the SampleCon Board of Directors. Most recently, he was awarded the 2023 WIRe MRX Diversity Champion, recognizing his lifetime contributions to diversity and inclusion in market research.

Michelle Gansle is McDonald’s Chief Data and Analytics Officer, leading the Data, Analytics, and AI practice for the Enterprise. Michelle and her team enable McDonald's to capture and harness the full value of its data and AI to run and grow the business more effectively. She brings 30 years of experience to Strategy, Insights, and Analytics, having most recently led the Global Insights and Analytics team at McDonald’s. Since joining McDonald’s, Michelle has stood up both a Foresight team and a Gen AI COE, connected human insights with data and analytics to drive more significant business impact, and played a critical role in the new global innovation process; Michelle is also a passionate people leader and people developer. Before McDonald’s, Michelle worked at Mars Wrigley and other notable brands, like Clorox. 

Anita Rao Kapur is a senior consumer research & analytics leader who is passionate about unlocking insights that enable data driven decisions to drive better business outcomes. Her career has been fueled by decoding how buyers think, react and behave in response to brand stories – partnering with leading B2B and B2C brands to optimize their marketing investments and unlock growth by leveraging the power of data & insights. Formerly at LinkedIn, she led her team in delivering valuable insights from LinkedIn’s unique first party data and third-party research resources to empower businesses to reach, engage, and convert their professional audience at scale across APAC.

Lisa Wilding-Brown has been in the industry for 20+ years. Lisa’s specialties include executive business leadership, product innovation, sampling and survey design, panel development and management, online and mobile recruitment as well as full-service mixed-mode field management across a multitude of industry sectors. As Chief Executive Officer at InnovateMR, Lisa has a passion for building strong relationships and a relentless mission to drive innovation and efficiency. Lisa and the InnovateMR + Ivy Exec executive team deliver transformational research strategies for their clients by harnessing the power of technology-enabled solutions that accelerate and activate insights for agencies and brands alike.  

With the announcement of the new Advisory Board positions, WIRe Executive Director Jessica Sage expressed excitement, saying, "These additions to WIRe’s Advisory Board perfectly capture the dynamic spirit of WIRe and the evolving world of data and insights. Mario, Michelle, Anita, and Lisa have been pivotal as mentors, event leads, donors, and community thought leaders. We're thrilled to have their insight and expertise steering us forward in 2025.”

Jo Brockhurst, Laura Chaibi, Damon Jones, and Cherie Leonard will retire as emeritus WIRe Board members in accordance with their term.

The new Board members join incumbent members ‍Jackie Chan (Meta), Emma Cooper (System1 Group), Shazia Ginai (Exhale Expand Ltd.), Tiama Hanson-Drury (Minna Technologies, a Mastercard Company), Alex Owens (Unilever), and Elaine Rodrigo (Reckitt). 

###

About WIRe
WIRe champions diversity in the marketing research industry by arming women with the tools to develop professionally, build connections and stay inspired. We believe in the positive impact of women in business. Our mission is to advance the contributions and voice of women in research, both for themselves and for the greater good of the industry. www.womeninresearch.org

‍For more information regarding Women in Research and the recent additions to their Advisory Board, reach out to Executive Director Jessica Sage (jessica@womeninresearch.org).