February 11, 2020 — Los Angeles, CA — Women in Research (WIRe), a global non-profit organization that champions diversity in the marketing research industry, has added three new members to its 2021 advisory board: Danielle Todd, Insights Director at Relish Research; Roddy Knowles, VP of Research at Feedback Loop; and Sima Vasa, Senior Advisor at Oberon Securities. All will serve an essential role in guiding WIRe’s global presence as well as the non-profit’s organizational and programming strategy.
Danielle Todd is an Insight Director with Relish Research. She has demonstrated her passion for the insight industry, not only through her expertise built in quantitative insight and strategy, but by her regular appearances at ESOMAR, MRS and IIEX, as well as her involvement with WIRe and the MRS Diversity, Inclusion and Equality Council. In her first year in the industry in 2013, she was ESOMAR Young Researcher of the Year runner-up, and in 2020 was named an IIEX GRIT Future Leader. Her personal interests range from geopolitics (how the world came to be how it is), feminism (how the world can be a better place) and post-apocalyptic literature (how the world could be if we mess it all up). She serves as WIRe’s London event lead and will be joining the board as WIRe’s international event liaison.
Roddy Knowles is VP of Research at Feedback Loop and, in addition to academic training in the social sciences, he has an extensive professional background in both qual and quant research. Roddy is a frequent speaker at industry conferences (and misses in-person events dearly), award-winning author, and champion of research innovation and best practices. Passionate about giving back to the research industry, he currently serves as US Representative for ESOMAR, President of the Insights Association Southeast Chapter, and board member at MRII.
Sima Vasa is a multi-faceted business leader in the market research and analytics space whose broad range of expertise centers on P&L management, operations, business development, marketing, entrepreneurship and investment banking. Currently, she focuses on advising clients on overall business strategy, evaluation of strategic options, and execution of investment banking mandates via Oberon Securities, a middle market investment banking firm. In addition to her professional endeavors, Sima is an active Women in Research executive member, serves on the Port Washington Public Library board of trustees as an elected official, and previously sat as the Chairman of SampleCon. Frequently taking the stage at national technology and market research conferences, Sima is the host of her own podcast, Data Gurus, which has received national recognition as one of the leading podcasts in the market research and data ecosystem vertical. Sima continues to serve on the board of directors of Paradigm Sample, a company that she co-founded.
WIRe Founder Kristin Luck praised this year’s additions, noting that, “…as the role of Market Research continues to evolve, I can’t think of three more qualified voices to help steer our organization as we continue in our pursuit of a more just and equitable industry. Roddy, Sima, and Danielle have not only been long-time supporters of WIRe programming, but outspoken advocates for WIRe within the insights community."
JD Deitch, Alisa Hamilton, and Begonia Fafian will retire as emeritus WIRe Board members in accordance with their term.