Advisory Board & Event Leadership

Alexia is a seasoned Qualitative Research professional & Moderator with a talent & passion for understanding the whys & emotion behind people’s attitudes, beliefs, opinions & behaviors in order to inform, inspire & help businesses innovate. Alexia leads focus groups, IDIs, UX testing & ideation sessions with all age levels of consumer segments, gauging their reactions to new & existing content, products, platforms, apps & experiences.

Prior to Maverix, Alexia was VP of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Research & Insights/FanLab group which provided qualitative services to business units across the organization to support the Development Of Content, Product, Services, Experiences, Talent, & Marketing & Distribution Strategies across all Brands & Franchises. In her role, Alexia identified key insights for brands such as HBO Max, DC Entertainment, Harry Potter, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, TNT/TBS, & various other Warner Bros. Discovery IP. She also spearheaded generational research for over a decade that identified potential business implications & opportunities.

Alexia combines her curiosity for deeply understanding people, exploring culture & evolving business by providing insights into the “hearts, minds, & motives” of people/fans/viewers/consumers through both qualitative & quantitative research methodologies.

• Alexia is a major proponent of empowering young professionals. Over her career, she has led internship programs that received various accolades.  She also co-taught a Cal State Northridge course on Audience Analysis for five years

• In 2022, she was named “Top 50 Women Leaders in Los Angeles” by Women We Admire

• Harvard Extension Design Thinking Certification

• Burke Institute - Certificate Of Proficiency In Moderation

• Riva - Advanced Moderating Kids & Teens

Ali is a marketing research leader with 18 years of experience across Retail, CPG, and Food & Beverage industries – Her focus supports insights through the consumer lens of guest experience, product innovation, processes and go-to market strategy and implementation. She is passionate about insights and loves to lead with action, ensuring research is folded into cross-functional decisions.

In 2021, Ali made the move to Seattle from her hometown of Atlanta, eager to explore the city, wander through the National Parks, and discover new bike routes as an avid cyclist. She currently leads a Team of researchers in Product Innovation at Starbucks and has made many new coffee rituals for pre- and post-adventures in her new city.

Alisa Hamilton is the President of Harvest Insights, a boutique market research firm based in Atlanta.  She specializes in focus group and online community moderating as well as in-depth interviewing, quantitative analysis and executive reporting.  She is the host of the Atlanta chapter of Women in Research (WIRE), and in her free time is a foster mom to rescue puppies for Angels Among Us Pet Rescue.

Anita 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. Currently at LinkedIn, she leads 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.

Arianne Larimer's expertise is in selling innovative market research technologies, public speaking, and leading high-growth teams.

Ashley Spring is the marketing research director at Ally focused on brand, media, messaging, and audience insights. She brings her experience as a research leader to integrate consumer trends and expectations across marketing. Prior to joining Ally she was a senior manager for panel research and television ratings at NASCAR. She has also held positions on the research vendor side supporting CPG brands, including management of ongoing global brand studies for Proctor & Gamble fem care, laundry care, and baby care businesses. In her free time, she loves spending time with family and friends and traveling, usually to go to a concert or a Disney park.

As a Mixed Methods Researcher, Barb exercises both sides of her brain by working in the fields of quantitative and qualitative research. Her favorite projects involve both methods because they result in the best insights – the “what” and “why.” Her journey in marketing research started at Georgian College, where she received her post-graduate Research Analyst certificate with honours. Barb is currently a seasoned marketing research professional that manages projects, moderates online communities and in-depth-interviews, analyzes complex data and presents actionable insights. She has worked with many different CPG clients from cannabis to condoms. There’s never a dull moment! She has also developed new and innovative tools, and written MRX blogs. When not on land working in the world of research, Barb can be found scuba diving with dolphins and sharks. Her other passions – no pun intended – include boxing, floral artistry and the piano.

Brin is a Partner at Trusted Talent, a firm specializing in helping Market Research firms find the right talent for the right jobs. An industry leading executive, Brin has over 20 years of diversified expertise in building, leading and mentoring world-class sales, business development, product and marketing organizations in the Market Research Industry. Brin started in quantitative & qualitative research at companies such as IRI and Greenfield Online and has experience in both custom and syndicated research. With a move to the San Francisco Bay Area in the early days of online, was a member of the founding management team at Greenfield Online, Brin has stayed at the forefront of emerging technologies for market research and consumer insights and has had experience with online sample, mobile research, video and data visualization, among other

Brin has been responsible for building new products, growing international markets, full P/L management, brand marketing, and ROI. Demonstrated leadership in partnering with senior teams, transforming margin challenges into sustainable, high yield profit centers and on strategic initiatives focused on increasing market share, profitability, and shareholder value. The key to her success has been building and mentoring the right team(s) for the business.

As Managing Director at MESH Experience, Dana is a strategic member of the global management team leading business strategy while being a ground zero representative in the America's working hand in hand with marketing, advertising and research experts across various different brands and categories.  Dana has a strong history of team leadership and coaching, strategic relationship building and close to 15 years of making agile business decisions to create the best outcomes for her clients and team in her day to day role.  She has been able to combine her insider’s knowledge of the market research landscape and her experience uncovering impactful and actionable insights, to help propel businesses forward.  Previous to MESH Experience, Dana was the Vice President of the Nielsen Opinion Quest, and has also been a primary research consultant within Nielsen focused on large social, digital, and technology clients.  At home in Rochester, NY, she is often a guest lecturer at colleges like Rochester Institute of Technology and St. John Fisher, most recently bringing the value of Experience Driven Marketing to our up and coming marketeers. A passionate diversity champion, long time member and mentor in WIRe and a C-Level executive member of Chief, it is a personal goal of Dana’s to help bolster and support women in business in any way she can.  Outside of her professional walls, Dana is the mom of two young boys and a certified Yoga instructor.  She has a deep love for animals, a passion for plant based healing and eating and is a self-proclaimed documentary watching nerd!

Danielle is a Director at insight-driven strategy consultancy The Forge. Danielle is passionate about elevating our industry; being the Women in Research (WIRe) London lead, WIRe Advisory Board member, MRS Diversity, Inclusion and Equality lead and is often seen presenting, Chairing or writing at and for IIEX, ESOMAR or MRS.

Danielle holds an MA in Geography, and an MSc in Environment, Society and Culture, both from the University of Edinburgh. Danielle also enjoys exploring wine, dystopian fiction and CrossFit, but usually not at the same time.

Edna Thiong’o  is the founder and Managing director of Breakthrough Consulting Ltd (BTC Group), a full service market and social research firm that operates in 6 countries in Africa. She holds a B.ED Arts (Hons.) and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Nairobi. She is also a part time lecturer of Consumer Behaviour at the University of Nairobi, School of Business.
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With over a decade of experience in the industry, she has moderated over 1000 focus groups, hundreds of interviews with top executives and overseen multiple projects in Brand development, Market & Social research, Strategic Planning and Training across Africa for leading global brands in FMCGS, Financial services and Nonprofits. She is passionate about brands and the transformation borne out of informed data driving positive impacts on corporations.
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Edna is a published author of a new book that celebrates mothers titled 'Tea with Mom-Stories of Mothers' that was launched in 2020. She is a member of the Marketing, Social Research Association (MSRA) and the European Society for Market Research (ESOMAR).

Emily heads up Opinium Amsterdam, insight agency Opinium’s European Headquarters.

As a former journalist and editor, Emily specialises in engaging with diverse audience groups to help brands shape their communication strategies, evaluate market trends, and develop new products and propositions. She has spoken at and chaired panel debates at the Market Research Society and recently won the B2B Market Research Society Award for her work on the changing role of B2B communication. Emily also sits on the advisory board member for Loughborough University’s Online Civic Culture Centre for Doctoral Training which is studying the impact of social media on the spread of misinformation, disinformation and the rise of hate speech and incivility.

Because she believes sleeping is often cheating, she completed a PhD on the relationship between violence and women in American Literature, set-up a pop-up pudding bar in London, rowed at a national level and is currently writing her first book.

Emma is Senior Legal Counsel at Toluna and advises Toluna globally, together with the rest of the legal team, on the full spectrum of legal issues facing the business. Emma was new to Market Research in 2018 when she first joined Toluna in the UK before relocating, with her family, to Perth, WA in 2021.

Emma has over 20 years’ experience as a commercial lawyer and has a particular interest and expertise in the field of intellectual property and is truly passionate about brands, with her legal career seeing her involved in some high profile trade mark and design right matters.

Emma loves the fast pace and diverse nature of market research and is driven by the enjoyment of delivering commercially focused no nonsense advice to Toluna which helps enable its business goals and growth.

When not in the office Emma loves the outdoor lifestyle that Perth has to offer, including tennis, water sports, dog walking, BBQs with family and friends and of course the beach!

Georgia is COO and co-owner of Luma Research, one of the world’s leading brand and communications insights agencies. She has over 20 years’ experience specializing as a consultant in brand and communications research. She has conducted research with clients on every continent and has worked alongside dozens of the world’s top advertisers; her passion is helping her clients to optimize their ads and brand strategies to grow their brands. An accomplished speaker, Georgia has spoken at many conferences around the world in New York, London, Paris, Shanghai, Athens, Barcelona, Sydney, Mexico City, Cannes, Lisbon, Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne and has written scores of research papers for industry associations like ARF, WARC, ESOMAR and AMSRS. The focus of her research aims to understand more detail on how communication works within different markets and audiences.  

Prior to Luma, Georgia has worked with large research company NOP (now GFK) in London, Ipsos in Australia, Add+Impact International, ADS. She started her career as an AMSRS Graduate Trainee. She is a member of AMSRS & ESOMAR and is a QPR (Qualified Professional Researcher).  She is also the Melbourne representative for WIRe and loves to help support younger women who are entering the industry. Georgia holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) and Bachelor of Science (Psychology) from the University of Melbourne.

Jo is currently the Client Engagement Lead for Kantar Insights Australia, having been in the depths of the research world for over 15 years she's found her passion area in recent years - leading & inspiring people, peers and clients. Jo has also been engaged with WIRe for over 10 years, being inspired herself by the events in London she has since launched a WIRe event series in Australia in 2014 which now covers Sydney, Melbourne & Perth. Jo's a fierce believer in paying it forward and championing others, she takes joy in watching others flourish in their professional and personal lives and being part of that journey.

Laura Beavin-Yates holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology and has more than 15 years of experience helping brands use data to achieve key growth goals and optimize communication strategies in a way that is authentic, meaningful, and relevant. She has vast experience with innovative emotion-based research methodologies, and a proven track record empowering brands like Google, P&G, Danone, Mars, and Kimberly-Clark to solve complex brand, product, and messaging challenges through data-driven storytelling. As an experienced startup leader, she has also contributed to B2B and B2C growth through the lens of marketing, product development, CX, and data-driven decision making.

Currently, Laura is the SVP of Partnerships and Marketing at Immersion Neuroscience, a neuromarketing SaaS startup enabling brands to quantify the emotional impact of content and experiences via a proprietary smartwatch app. She is also spearheading the go to market strategy for a new consumer wellness app rooted in neuroscience. Laura also serves on the advisory board for Availyst (a B2C food discovery app), Lifewrite (a B2C writing for wellness platform), and Five to Flow (a B2B consultancy focused on EX and CX).

A passionate market research professional with 15+ years of experience and a proven track record in strategic account management and growth. Through the effective implementation of solution selling strategies and creating personable relationships. My goal is to develop outstanding, long-lasting relationships by bringing relevant methods to clients that will drive value for their business.

Paula Tripp, Consumer Insights Consultant for the House of JOY and Founder and CEO of The Insights Partnership, is a highly regarded industry veteran, known for her expertise in transforming data into meaningful consumer and marketing insights.  Paula’s career includes pivotal roles at Fortune 500 Brands including SVP Consumer Insights for BET Media Group (a Paramount Global Network), Head of Foundational and Menu Insights at McDonald’s and roles of increasing responsibility at Unilever, General Mills, and Information Resources Incorporated (IRI). She holds an Economics degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Science in marketing research from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Paula is also a founding board member of the 40+ Double Dutch Club, a 501c3 organization developed to empower women over 40 in mental and physical health by inspiring Friendship, Fitness, Fun and Fellowship.

Tammy has over 20 years of experience in big data, analytics, and market research, and has helped numerous clients over the years with product development, marketing campaigns, and brand health.  Her client list has spanned a variety of industries and companies, including Google, Nestle, Athleta, Blue Apron, McDonald’s, Cigna, The Home Depot, Amazon, Microsoft, Warner Brothers, NBC Universal and many more.  In Tammy’s current role, she is leading a team at Toluna to help bring market research solutions to clients in the Tech, Media, Telecom, and Entertainment industries.  She is committed to growing and supporting the Denver community of women in the insights industry and to put Denver on the map as a top research talent hub in the country.  In her spare time, Tammy likes to take advantage of all that Colorado has to offer in the great outdoors, especially with her husband, two teens, and dog.  She also volunteers at a local shelter by fostering animals and getting them ready for their forever families.

As the Director of Enterprise Sales for Suzy, a real-time consumer insights platform, and concurrently serving as the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Insights Association South Central chapter, I bring a unique blend of expertise to the intersection of technology and research. Based in Tempe, Arizona, for the past decade, I've made substantial contributions not only professionally but also as a podcast host in the research field. Beyond my role, I own a company staging short-term rentals across the Valley. Enthusiastic about fostering diversity, I aim to establish a WIRe chapter in Phoenix, leveraging the diverse talent pool of women to elevate the research landscape. Oh, and did I mention my love for Prosecco?

With over 15 years of experience in luxury industry market research, I've collaborated with major groups like L'Oréal, Kering, and LVMH, honing my skills in driving impactful decisions through consumer insight. Initially from France, I was drawn to the Middle East's dynamic landscape of technology, sustainability, and the rise of women in leadership, prompting my move to this vibrant region. Founding Responsible Growth, my aim is to align businesses with the region's vision, bridging French luxury with Middle Eastern values. Through ESOMAR and WIRe, I organize thought leadership events showcasing market research's role in using business as a force for good. Let's work together to craft a future where success is measured not just in profit, but in purpose and impact.