The ICG

Beyond Words: How Language and Culture Shape Credible Global Market Research
2025-08-07 14:00 - 15:00 (Europe/London)
This webinar has been generously sponsored by TTC wetranslate Ltd

Unlock the secrets to truly credible global market research in thisupcoming webinar, “Beyond Words: How Language and Culture Shape Credible Global Market Research.”
In today’s interconnected world, understanding your audience goes far beyond simple translation. Join us to discover how cultural nuance and linguistic expertise are essential for accurate data, meaningful insights, and research that resonates worldwide.
This session will empower you with practical strategies to navigate cross-cultural challenges, avoid common pitfalls, and deliver research that stands up to global scrutiny.
Our speaker – Levent Yildizgoren

Levent is one of the two co-founders of TTC wetranslate and has helped it grow from a single to multi-language vendor. Levent is an experienced English to Turkish translator himself and a PRINCE2® Qualified Project Manager.
Levent has over 30 years of industry experience; he is a mentor, speaker, charity fundraiser and visiting lecturer at Essex University. He was the winner of ‘Outstanding Contribution to Translation Industry in 2015’ award.
Levent also is a published author of ‘Good Business in any Language’ and host of ‘Thrive in Global Markets’ podcast. In his spare time, he enjoys skiing, bike riding and swimming, and is also a PADI rescue diver.
E: levent@ttcwetranslate.com
Register for this webinar here

Effortless Rewards: Smarter Gifting for Happier Participants
2025-08-20 13:00 - 13:30
Welcoming Totally Gifts for this half-hour session

What You’ll Learn
In this half-hour session, you’ll discover how our platform simplifies participant rewards while delivering a seamless, engaging experience for recipients. Whether it’s prepaid cards, a wide selection of market leading gift vouchers, or even BACS payments—we handle it all through a single, easy-to-use code and delivery portal.
At Totally Gifts, we go beyond being just a provider; we strive to be a trusted partner in your projects. Our solution helps you streamline reward management while ensuring a frictionless experience for participants.
About Totally Gifts
Totally Gifts is built on deep industry expertise and years of hands-on experience. Purpose-built for the B2B market, our platform is designed to support organisations of all sizes in delivering a wide range of rewards, effortlessly.
From selection to delivery, our curated, full-service approach takes the complexity out of rewards, so you can focus on what you do best, while we handle the rest.
Meet the Speaker: Peter Bennett
Sales Director, Totally Gifts

Peter brings over 10 years of experience in the rewards, recognition, and loyalty space. Having worked both client-side and agency-side, he’s led high-impact projects for global blue-chip clients.
Since joining Totally Gifts over two years ago, Peter has spearheaded the Client Solutions strategy, successfully delivering multimillion-pound, multi-continent reward programs. His expertise, coupled with our agile in-house tech and client-first approach, enables us to deliver exactly what our clients need, when they need it.
Register for this session (open to non-members)

A Whistlestop Tour of Canva
2025-09-02 16:00 - 16:45
This Knowledge Share will be presented by ICG member Ramona Daniel and is generously sponsored by AddMaple

Ready to see what all the Canva fuss is about? This session is perfect if you’ve been curious about whether it’s worth making the switch from PowerPoint, or if you want to create better-looking social content without needing a design degree.
Ramona will walk you through creating presentations in Canva and show you how it stacks up against PowerPoint. Spoiler alert! There are some genuine advantages worth knowing about.
We’ll also explore how to knock up social media content quickly, create simple videos, and use whiteboards for coaching and brainstorming sessions. Plus I’ll cover the different ways to export and share your work.
It’s not a deep-dive tutorial, more of a “here’s what Canva can actually do for you” overview that should give you enough to decide if it’s worth exploring further.
By the end, you’ll have a good sense of where to start if you want to give it a go.
Ramona Daniel

I’m a cultural insights and research strategy consultant with over 25 years of experience at leading global agencies including Ipsos, Kantar, and across the WPP network. I now work independently, partnering with organisations that need senior-level expertise on a flexible, freelance basis. Clients value my ability to step into complex projects quickly. My work bridges strategic thinking and hands-on delivery, from designing multi-market research programmes to translating data into compelling cultural narratives. I specialise in helping businesses decode cultural shifts, optimise research processes for greater efficiencies, and upskill teams – particularly at the intersection of traditional research methodologies and AI-driven analytics tools.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonadaniel/
https://www.23insights.co.uk/

Login here (no need to pre-register).

ICG Member Speed Networking (using Remo)
2025-09-10 13:00 - 14:30
This event has been generously sponsored by Glaut

We are excited to bring you another ICG Member Speed Networking session, hosted by the virtual conferencing/meeting platform, Remo.
This is your opportunity to meet others in small groups/one to one, for short periods of time.
We’d encourage you all to treat this as a fun way to get to know others, rather than being a direct sales pitch.
Register your place here
(Note – there are a number of ways to register. If you click on ‘magic link’ with your email address, it’ll send a link to your inbox from which you can register. Alternatively, you can register using the other platforms they list there).

Secure your small business: easy wins for information security peace of mind
2025-09-11 11:00 - 12:00
This webinar has been sponsored by Indeemo

Supply chain attacks are on the rise. Small and medium sized businesses are often targeted by attackers to either gain access into larger companies systems, or access information. End clients know this and therefore carry out extensive procurement activities on their suppliers (including research agencies). There is also an expectation for agencies to carry similar checks on their suppliers (e.g. freelancers, fieldwork providers) – this is to ensure client commercial and participant personal information is secured wherever it exists down the supply chain.
During this session we will cover some basic security hygiene items which you can apply to your devices and cloud services to help minimize risks when you are custodians of this information. We’ll also show you what to look out for from a risk perspective when selecting, suggesting and using cloud services (including AI tools) to assist you in your projects.
We will also be looking at a few examples of common attacks and what to do to help prevent a security breach.
Attendees can expect to leave the session with added knowledge on how to protect digital information on systems and devices as well as feeling empowered to confidently respond to client security questions and questionnaires.
Our presenter – John Rickets
John Ricketts has been working in the market research agency since 1997 – he now has grey hair. In that time he delivered technical and security support services to research agencies, freelancers, CATI centres, and viewing studios. John left the industry for 3 years to develop his cyber security skills further by assisting Enterprise and Government organizations with security governance , risk and compliance activities.
He came back to the insights industry in 2018 to establish InfoShelter Ltd – a company formed with the aim of helping market research businesses traverse the cyber threat landscape and meet client and regulatory requirements in information security, privacy, and now, AI Governance.

Web: https://www.infoshelter.co.uk
Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/infoshelter-ltd/
John R LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-ricketts/
Register for this webinar here

Book Group: "The Way We Talk Around Here" by Gill Ereaut
2025-09-16 12:00 - 12:45
Join author Gill Ereaut, alongside ICG member Judy Taylor who’ll lead a discussion about this book that shows how your organisation’s culture shows up in your language and why it matters.
Judy says…
If you work with companies who are aiming to improve workplace culture and communication, or if you are responsible for advising clients on how they communicate with their staff, about their brands, to their consumers, The Way We Talk Around Here is well worth a read.
It’s great for qualitative researchers to understand how and why language is the data of culture. By being able to decode language and its influence, it helps highlight how it also sets invisible rules and parameters that affect how we are perceived and how we perceive others. Reading this book can change how we speak, read and listen. The book outlines clear strategies for leaders to adopt more relevant and meaningful cultural norms through the language they use. The book focuses on linguistics, and provides insights into how small linguistic changes can transform a business or brand culture. It’s great to apply some of her wisdom to running focus groups and depth interviews too, and especially apply it when completing ethnographic work.
Extract from the Amazon summary:
The unspoken rules and unquestioned assumptions that make up an organization’s culture are so well hidden that, once we become insiders, we stop noticing them. They’re just ‘the way we do things around here’. Examining an organization’s language is a powerful and practical way to shed light on its culture.
Gill Ereaut describes how to uncover organizational and team cultures through paying close attention to the language used and adopted by insiders.

How researchers and ethnographers – and those helping organisations – can spot language patterns to identify unconscious rules and norms

NB Gill Ereaut is a linguistic consultant specializing in analyzing corporate cultures and their effects. She founded UK consultancy Linguistic Landscapes Ltd in 2002, pioneering the commercial application of language analysis to organizational challenges.
More info
‘The Way We Talk Around Here: How your organization’s culture shows up in your language and why it matters’ is shortlisted for the People, Culture & Management category in this year’s Business Book Awards. Run annually, the awards celebrate the work of authors who have shared their industry or market knowledge, experience, and expertise in published book form. The category People, Culture & Management is for books focused on improving people skills, management and working environments.
Amazon link: https://amzn.eu/d/9xjVnLm (The Kindle version is currently available at a bargainous 99p/99c in the run up to the Awards announcement on Sept 10th!)
LinkedIn Live interview coming up on Aug 8th: https://www.linkedin.com/events/meetour2025bbafinalists-gillere7356325971311923201/theater/

No need to pre-register: click here for login

Thriving in the Strategy Swamp (as an Independent)
2025-09-17 13:00 - 13:30
This Lunch&Learn is presented by Quallie.Ai (we welcome them back again – their first Lunch&Learn recording can be found here

Ed Mehmed (former MD at What If, Butterfly, and Accenture) shares what it takes to thrive in today’s independent consulting world.
Drawing on his journey from boutique to big consultancy to independent consultant, he’ll share real world stories and tips for finding the work that matters to you.
He’ll be joined by Marco Rovagnati, Co-Founder of Quallie.Ai.
They’ll also explore how tools like Quallie.Ai help independents stay fast, sharp, and close to the craft, making the right kind of work easier to land.
Register for this session here

AI-moderated voice interviews: friend, foe or future of Qual?
2025-10-01 13:00 - 13:30
Come and hear more about Glaut, an AI-powered customer research software for large-scale customer research projects. We support quant researchers uncover qualitative insights traditional surveys miss through voice-based, AI-moderated interviews (“AIMI”), which combine the efficiency of a survey with the depth of a 1-to-1 interview. Glaut is able to interview thousands of respondents simultaneously (customers, employees, patients), in +50 languages.
Glaut thrives at the intersection of artificial intelligence, marketing, and human psychology, blending these fields to deliver deeper, more meaningful insights.
Matteo Cera – Glaut Founder

I am a builder and Glaut is the third company I created in the past 15 years. https://www.linkedin.com/in/matteocera/

Register for this session here

Segmentation: Your mission, should you choose to accept
2025-10-07 16:00 - 16:45
This Knowledge Share will be presented by ICG member John Storey
It is generously sponsored by Add Maple

What you will gain from attending
This session will provide you with a high-level understanding of segmentation, equipping you to deliver more value to your clients. You will walk away with the understanding and tools to:

Grasp Core Principles: You’ll learn the fundamental theory and best practices behind successful market segmentation, regardless of the tools you use.
Navigate the Process: We will outline a clear, step-by-step process for conducting segmentation projects, from initial data analysis to creating compelling, actionable outputs.
Access Practical Resources: You’ll gain free access to a purpose-built web app that can help you with your segmentation analysis.

More specifically, John will cover:
The Why

Why is segmentation a challenge for independent consultants and micro-businesses?
Why focus on process and best practices rather than specific software?

The How

An overview of the entire segmentation process, from start to finish.
Discussion of key methodologies and how to choose the right one.
A demonstration of a free web app to help with key aspects of your analysis.

The Result

How to go from raw data segments to actionable personas.
Case studies: Applying segmentation theory in pharma, consumer shopper, charity sector.
Best practices for communicating your findings to clients.

Discussion & Q&A.
John Storey, Market Research Consultant

I am the MD and owner of Medical Research Limited, operating as Marketing Sciences Limited. I have extensive experience in healthcare market research, particularly in the fields of Pharma, Biopharma, and Biotech. I also specialize in Charity Research, Consumer FMCG and Technology/Online Digital Research.
I operate as Marketing Sciences Limited with a group of Marketing & Business Associates and will often partner with other Independent Consultants providing evidence-based market research and marketing support services. I personally specialise in providing qualified Physician and Patient research including depth interviews and focus groups.
My work includes segmentation-related research, including Patient Record Trackers, NPD, and Audience Targeting, Digital Marketing. I am a certified member of the MRS and Health Sciences Dip HE (Open), and a member of the ICG and The Royal Society of Medicine, BHBIA The British Healthcare Business Intelligence Association and Certified Digital Marketing Professional, Digital Marketing Institute.
marketsci.co.uk. Jonny.storey@marketsci.co.uk
Register for this session here

What's life really like inside clientside organisations and bigger agencies?
2025-10-14 11:00 - 12:15
This session is generously sponsored by The Lens

This session is for ICG members only.
Many of us have been working for ourselves for a very long time.
And the Insight world is changing – fast.
So how do you keep up with really understanding what life is like for our clients in all sorts of organisations?
And why does this matter?
We think it matters because a more accurate understanding of their working lives means having a greater chance of winning work with them and having a smoother working relationship.
We’ve put together a panel of ICG members who’ve recently been in those clients’ shoes. They cover a range of organisation types and will share more about how independent consultants featured in their lives and what they were looking for – and not looking for – from them.
They’ll each give an overview of their experiences and will then be available to answer your questions.
Our Panellists and the organisations they’ve come from
Nicola Charlton
Ramona Daniel – GroupM / Choreograph (now WPP Media)
Becky Lewis – Government departments
Neil Macfarlane – Pepsi Lipton
Ben Robins – Audible

1. TO HELP SHAPE THIS DISCUSSION, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING SHORT SURVEY
2. THEN REGISTER YOUR PLACE HERE

The Glow Effect: Growing Your Business
2025-10-29 13:00 - 13:30
This Lunch&Learn will provide you with an introduction to Glow, a comprehensive research solution designed for teams in marketing, brand strategy, product development, or agency services that need to quickly validate ideas and make data-backed decisions. You’ll also hear more about their Growth Program, giving you additional benefits through your ICG Membership.
A bit about Glow
Glow offers a smarter, faster way to gain reliable consumer insights without requiring a full research team or complex tools. It’s a comprehensive research solution designed for teams in marketing, brand strategy, product development, or agency services that need to quickly validate ideas and make data-backed decisions. The platform helps users collect feedback from global panels, analyze data with built-in analytics and real-time dashboards, visualize insights in branded reports, and act on results faster with tools for decision-making, storytelling, and strategy.
Glow’s Growth Program is designed to help businesses grow by utilizing their advanced tech platform, which simplifies and broadens access to research. The platform excels at capturing real-time feedback from individuals in their natural context, leading to enhanced product development and accelerated insight generation. As part of this initiative, Glow is committing $100 million in hosting credits over three years to further support its users.
Glow Home Page
Glow Growth Program
Marc Chester
Marc Chester is an Account Director at Glow, a leading on-demand research platform that helps progressive brands make faster, better decisions through advanced survey technology. With over 20 years of market research and consumer insights expertise, Marc has built his career working with industry-leading organizations including Euromonitor International, Lightspeed GMI, and Toluna. At Glow, he works with clients, helping them capture real-time insights from over 110 million people worldwide, with a focus on delivering high-quality data up to 3x faster than traditional research methods.

Register for this session here

Prompt Design 2.0 - Getting More Useful Results from AI Tools
2025-11-04 16:00 - 16:45
We welcome back ICG member Ramona Daniel to run this follow-up Knowledge Share.

This follow-up Knowledge Share builds on our foundations session (https://theicg.co.uk/recording-prompt-design-for-independent-researchers-foundations/) and focuses on getting more reliable, useful results from AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude. It’s about moving beyond writing prompts to thinking critically about what the AI gives you back.
We’ll look at:

Simple ways to check and verify the accuracy of AI outputs
How to refine prompts when the first answer isn’t quite right
Using short, structured prompts to save time and reduce repetition
Turning ad-hoc tasks into reusable prompt templates for everyday work

This is a practical session for independent researchers and consultants who already use AI tools and want to use them with more confidence and consistency – no technical knowledge required.

Register here

Book Group: 'Motherdom: Breaking Free from Bad Science and Good Mother Myths'
2025-11-05 12:00 - 12:45
Please join us at our next Book Group session, where we will discuss ‘Motherdom: Breaking Free from Bad Science and Good Mother Myths’ whilst also welcoming author, Alex Bollen.

Alex’s book Motherdom: Breaking Free from Bad Science and Good Mother Myths was published in March in the UK and US by Verso. It explores how flimsy science has been used to shame and blame generations of mothers. It’s been described as “compelling” by the New Scientist and “a thorough investigation into the intense pressures mothers face” by the Washington Post.
Alex’s book owes a lot to her experiences as a researcher. Alex was a Research Director at Ipsos MORI and has been a freelance researcher since 2011. Ben Page, who was CEO of Ipsos, has said of Motherdom: “This is essential reading for anyone interested in how research should – and shouldn’t – be used.”
Motherdom is available from all good bookshops, including Waterstones and Foyles. The ebook can be purchased from Verso or Amazon.

Join the session here: no need to pre-register

Beyond synthetic: The irreplaceable value of face-to-face data collection
2025-11-12 13:00 - 13:30
“In a world racing toward artificial data, what’s the real cost of losing human connection?”
Michael Pollock from StreetLife draws on 30+ years of face-to-face quantitative research to explore:

The Face-to-Face Evolution

“How quant face-to-face has transformed in 5 years”

The Niche Advantage

“Do specialists outperform generic approaches?”

Real vs. Synthetic

“What only human interaction provides”

Closing & Q&A

Michael Pollock
Michael is a Director of StreetLife, a leading UK-based fieldwork agency specialising in quantitative face-to-face market research. The company has operations in Bexleyheath, Kent, and Manchester, alongside regional hubs right across the UK. Since its establishment in 2011, StreetLife has provided UK and global companies with a wide range of fieldwork services, including exit interviews, central location tests, in-home interviewing, mystery shopping, and door-to-door and on-street interviews.
StreetLife
Register for this session here

Behavioural science 2.0: Tackling complex goals using behavioural systems
2025-11-13 11:00 - 12:00
This webinar has been generously sponsored by StreetLife

Eating healthily. Exercising regularly. Having spare money left over at the end of the month.
These are all challenges we humans seem destined to struggle with forever – right?
Not necessarily. We’ve just been using the wrong tools.
Behavioural science 1.0 helped governments and businesses nudge simple, one-off decisions like when to pay a tax bill, or what product to buy.
However, it failed to help anyone tackle more complex goals.
In this interactive webinar we’ll explore how Behavioural science 2.0 helps achieve lasting change by applying systems thinking.
You’ll discover how you – and your clients – can best tackle complex challenges, from improving health and financial wellbeing to strengthening consumer engagement and loyalty.
Our presenter – Chris Harvey
Chris Harvey is Founder of Activate Research (www.activate-research.com), which inspires change and drives growth by enabling agencies and organisations to better understand, predict and influence audience behaviour.
Chris has 15+ years quantitative and qualitative research industry experience (working for agencies including YouGov, GfK, and Dunnhumby) and a Masters with Distinction in Behavioural Science.
Chris is also a regular behavioural science workshop trainer for the Market Research Society, and a member of the Global Association of Applied Behavioural Scientists.
Chris has been an ICG member for many years.

Register for this webinar here

Data Protection 2025 – New Rules/New Risks
2025-12-02 16:00 - 16:45
This Knowledge Share has been generously sponsored by Indeemo.

The Knowledge Share will be run by ICG member Jude Legg, and will aim to update members on what’s new in the world of data protection and offer some practical tips to maintain compliance.
Jude Legg

I have over 20 years experience working in the market research industry. I started with a brief cameo as a qual research exec, then moved into Field & Project Management then latterly into compliance. I became a self employed compliance consultant in January 2024 and I am a certified data protection professional.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-legg-9243064/
Register for this session here

The perfect AI partner to supercharge your research projects
2025-12-03 13:00 - 13:30
We welcome Motives.ai to this 30-min Lunch&Learn session.

Motives.ai brings the consumer to life through AI-moderated, video interviews – It is a project gamechanger in terms of speed, depth, breadth, value and client engagement, by optimizing flexibility in terms of regionality, timelines, sample size, analysis and insight on a video-based platform
In the session, the Motives team will talk you through the Motives.ai platform discuss the benefits, run through a live demo and field any questions.
More specifically….
Motives is the new way for brands to get in-depth consumer insight.
Powered by an AI qualitative researcher, you can use Motives to run entire qualitative projects or as a super-smart AI partner on the project. It can help you make projects faster, more scaleable and more affordable than traditional methods. Motives is there as your research partner for the entire research process, from brief generation and discussion guide development through to recruitment, fieldwork and in-depth, respondent-led analysis. Our expert AI works as your research partner – super fast, insightful and getting everything you need before your next meeting.
Our speakers
Sean Conley – Motives.ai founder and CEO

Founder & CEO – after spending years building and scaling AI products, and leading teams at Google, Dataiku, and Truelayer, Sean launched Motives. The Motives vision is to bring human researchers and the latest AI models together to deliver excellent qualitative insights.
John Jones

An insight specialist of over 30 years, working agency-side for Added Value Company (now Kantar), Informer Interactive Research, the Blinc Partneship and Firefish, client-side at the BBC, Levi Strauss Europe and ITV, plus creative strategy roles at St Lukes, Red Bee Media and Sky Creative. For the last 8 years, I have been running Fabric Insight and consulting for Motives. John is also an ICG member.
https://www.motives.ai/

Register for this session here

ICG Shopper/Retail/Packaging Insights Meet-Up
2025-12-05 10:00 - 12:00
We are organising a small in-person meet-up in London on the morning of 5th December for ICG members with an interest in shopper and retailer insight and packaging research. The aim is to connect specialists in this area, share experiences, explore new tools (including AR/VR eye-tracking), and spark potential collaboration across the network.
At the time of going to press the venue is still being confirmed, but if you’d like to join us or want more information, please contact Barbara (barbara@bric.amsterdam) or Dawn (dawn@posinsights.co.uk) and we’ll keep you updated.
A great opportunity for those who are coming on to the ICG Christmas Party that afternoon!

ICG Christmas Party 2025 - Open To Everyone
2025-12-05 13:00 - 17:00 | The Queens Head, Shoreditch E1 6PJ, 222 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6PJ, United Kingdom
Excited to be announcing our 2025 Christmas Party, generously sponsored by Field Sauce, The Lens, and Qualzy.
Hurry – tickets tend to sell FAST.
When? Friday 5 December, 1-5pm
Where? The Queen’s Head, 222 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6PJ
How much? £42+VAT (+Eventbrite fees)
Buy your tickets here

ICG and the MRS - Second Meeting (Online)
2025-12-08 16:00 - 17:00
Join us online for a follow up meeting with the MRS (the first one was in July).
When? Monday 8 December, 4-5pm
Where? Online – register below.
This time it’ll be the ICG’s turn to share more about us – who our members are, what their needs are and how we’d like the MRS to support us.
As before, there’ll be an opportunity to ask questions to the MRS at the end.
Register here

Basic Compliances for SMEs
2026-01-08 11:00 - 12:00
Join us for this informative webinar run by Accountant Jai Haran (husband of ICG member Aakanksha Haran).
Based on the topic areas that many of you requested, Jai will talk about business compliance requirements for

Accounting and Corporation Tax
VAT essentials
PAYE basics
Company Secretarial.

He’ll then be available for questions.
A perfect start to the year – get your company and finances operating efficiently – and compliant with the law.
Jai Haran
Jai works at RNM UK – a firm of Chartered Certified Accountants, tax and business advisers. Their key focus is identifying opportunities that give our clients a meaningful business advantage. They provide a full range of accounting and business services to enterprises and individuals helping them to achieve growth and long-term success. Between them, they have decades of knowledge and practical experience.

Register here

AI beyond chatbots and prompts
2026-01-13 16:00 - 16:45
This intermediate session is for researchers who want to move beyond basic prompting and explore the less visible capabilities of AI. We’ll look at different types of AI, what they can do, and how to use them to streamline and elevate your research practice. You’ll learn how to build your own queryable knowledge bases, analyse complex qual and quant data more efficiently, and introduce AI-driven workflows that save time on routine tasks. If you’re curious about AI capabilities and want practical, non-technical guidance, this session is for you.
Nadia Antropova
Nadia Antropova is an insights and strategy consultant working with CPG brands, retailers, and agencies on mixed-method studies. She helps consumer brands build data-driven brand, channel, category, and portfolio strategies that support commercial growth. She also supports insights leaders in navigating the technology landscape, drawing on her experience in advanced analytics, global SaaS rollouts, and machine learning initiatives.

Register for this session here

Powering Up Your Research in 2026
2026-01-14 13:00 - 13:30
How Independent Consultants Can Compete on Quality and Scale by partnering with InnovateMR+Ivy Exec

This session is designed specifically to support independent research consultants as they look ahead to 2026. We’ll explore how to strengthen your research offering by combining high-quality, verified samples with global reach and agile methodologies—without the infrastructure of a large agency. Topics include:

How independents can access hard-to-reach B2B, healthcare, and specialist audiences
What to look for in sample partners to ensure quality, verification, and credibility
Ways to scale projects globally while maintaining control and confidence in your data
How modern recruitment, profiling, and AI-driven quality checks reduce risk and rework
Practical approaches to delivering “agency-level” insight as an independent

Why members should attend
Independent consultants are under increasing pressure to deliver fast, credible, and globally relevant insights—often with limited time and resources. This session will show how the right sampling and research support can help you punch above your weight, protect your reputation, and future-proof your research offering in 2026 and beyond.
InnovateMR + Ivy Exec
Since the acquisition of Ivy Exec in January 2023, InnovateMR and Ivy Exec operate as a unified research solutions provider that bridges traditional quantitative sample access with deep qualitative expert insights. Together they offer:

End‑to‑End Research Capabilities: From broad quantitative sampling to targeted expert interviews and B2B insights. PR Newswire
Advanced Quality & Fraud Prevention Tools: Enhanced technologies like AI‑driven analytics and fraud detection to ensure data integrity. InnovateMR
Broader Market Reach: Expanded global reach across industries requiring detailed consumer and expert insights. InnovateMR

Summary:
InnovateMR is a market research technology powerhouse delivering fast, quality insights through advanced sampling and analytics, while Ivy Exec brings a large, vetted B2B expert network and career‑oriented content; together they offer integrated quantitative and qualitative research solutions for complex decision‑making needs.
OUR SPEAKERS
Mari Smith
Mari Smith- AVP, Client & Business Development, EMEA at InnovateMR + Ivy Exec
With 15 years in the market research industry, Mari Smith brings a unique blend of operational expertise and commercial acumen. Over the past four years, she has transitioned from an operational background to a commercial role, leveraging her deep industry knowledge to build and expand InnovateMR + Ivy Exec’s EU business. Mari has worked with various clients—including MR agencies, consultancies, private equity firms, end clients, and media agencies—across quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Her experience in streamlining operations, scaling business growth, and delivering client-focused solutions makes her a key driver of success at InnovateMR + Ivy Exec.
(84) Mari Suszka-Smith | LinkedIn
Monica Kaur
Monica Kaur – Client Manager, EMEA at InnovateMR + Ivy Exec
With over 15 years of experience in client and new business development within the market research industry, Monica Kaur specialises in onboarding new clients, developing client relationships, and driving revenue growth. At InnovateMR + Ivy Exec, Monica partners with agencies, consultancies and brands to provide both quantitative and qualitative solutions across fieldwork and full-service research studies.
Her specialties include consulting on quantitative and qualitative methodologies, within B2B, B2C and healthcare research, to drive organisational growth.
(84) Monica Kaur | LinkedIn
David Hickson
David Hickson – Client Director, EMEA at InnovateMR + Ivy Exec
With over 25 years of market research experience, David Hickson specializes in data integrity, panel management, and research technology. As Client Director for EMEA at InnovateMR + Ivy Exec, he partners with agencies and brands to refine their research strategies through robust sampling techniques, fraud detection measures, and AI-driven automation.
David has worked across B2B, B2C, and public sector research, developing methodologies that enhance data quality and operational efficiency. His expertise spans survey design, respondent engagement, and leveraging automation to maintain high standards and maximize value.
(84) David Hickson | LinkedIn
InnovateMR: Market Research & Consumer Insights | Survey Panels | InnovateMR
Ivy Exec: Market Research Recruitment for B2B | Ivy Exec

Register for this session here

More info about InnovateMR and Ivy Exec here.

The ICG Party in Leeds
2026-01-15 18:00 - 21:30 | The brewery tap leeds
This party has been generously sponsored by Rigour Research

Come and banish those January blues by joining our party in Leeds. We’ve hired a room, ordered some food, and promise to give you a warm welcome.
When? Thurs 15 Jan, 6pm
Where? The Brewery Tap, Leeds, New Station St, Leeds LS1 5DL
How much? Just buy your drinks! Room hire and food covered by our generous sponsor and the ICG.
For catering purposes, please register your place and get more info here

State of the (Insight) Nation - A review of 2025 and some predictions for 2026
2026-01-20 11:00 - 12:00
This webinar has been generously sponsored by Liveminds

Join our esteemed industry panellists to discuss some key themes from 2025 and help predict 2026.
Come away from the session with a better idea of what those in other areas of the industry (field, larger agencies, clients) are experiencing, as well as an idea of what your fellow independent consultants are going through as well.
A perfect start to the new year.
Our Panellists
Rebecca Cole – Panel Chair, Cobalt Sky, MRS Board Member (and Chair-Elect)

Rebecca Cole is the CEO of Cobalt Sky, an award-winning market research operations company, where she has worked since 2006. She has served on the main board of the Market Research Society (MRS) since 2020 and will be assuming the role Chair in April 2026. A highly experienced web scripter and quantum programmer, Cole is also Co-Chair of the Association for Survey Computing (ASC).
Steven Darby: Leeds Building Society
Steven is responsible for the Leeds Building Society research department, over a decade of client-side industry experience across B2B and B2C. He works with leading partners and agencies across the industry to bring the needs and voice of customer to the heart of the organisation.
Steven became Aura Director of Events and Awards in 2018, and Vice Chair in 2023 where he is responsible for delivering the Aura program of webinars, seminars, conference content and the AURA awards. As well as working at LBS and volunteering with Aura Steven has used this experience to support the MRS and has been a judge for the MRS Awards since 2019.
Sam Grey: Managing Director, i-view London
Sam has 24 years’ experience across recruitment, qual and quant fieldwork, automotive clinics, interviewing and facility operations. As Managing Director of i-view London, Sam has helped shape a multi-award-winning, inclusive viewing facility known for high-end hospitality, technical excellence and seamless delivery. Sam is a vocal advocate for the unique value of face-to-face insight in an increasingly hybrid industry.
Dr Sarah Jenkins,
Dr. Sarah Jenkins, Founder and Director of Magenta
Sarah is an award-winning insight professional with a distinguished career spanning more than 20 years. Starting in academia, moving to a think tank then the Social Research Institute of Ipsos MORI, Sarah moved into commercial research when she became Head of Qualitative in the Ipsos media team. In 2016, she founded Magenta Research, growing it into a multi-award-winning agency known for actionable client insights and storytelling. As an active member of the research community, Sarah has judged awards, served as AQR Vice Chair, and delivered MRS training. As respected conference speaker and thought leader, Sarah continues to push the boundaries of research challenging others to think differently and not always take the easy path.
Register for this session

'Positive Intelligence' by Shirzad Chamine
2026-01-28 12:00 - 12:45
A members-only event
This month’s ICG Book Group will be lead by ICG member Jeff Deighton.
‘Positive Intelligence’ by Shirzad Chamine
Online review: “Positive Intelligence (PQ) measures the percentage of time your mind is serving you as opposed to sabotaging you. While your IQ and EQ (emotional intelligence) contribute to your maximum potential, it is your PQ that determines how much of that potential you actually achieve. Shirzad Chamine reveals how to achieve one’s true potential for both professional success and personal fulfilment.”
Jeff says: “I found some of it very moving and resonant and just following some of the principles & actions at the start of my day instead of immediately jumping on the computer made me feel a happier person with a more balanced perspective I hope it helps a few others just find the odd practical technique for stopping the brain always processing, evaluating and judging. It has lots of practical techniques in there about how to live and work and deal with negativity and conflict.”

Register your place here (if you haven’t read the book, you’re still welcome to join).

The Researcher’s Toolkit: Working Smarter with Gamma AI
2026-02-03 16:00 - 16:45
This Knowledge Share has been sponsored by Indeemo.

Most people have heard about Canva but have you used Gamma yet? If not, Andrew will show you how to create research stimulus, redesign existing reports, create newsletters, webpages, social media visuals and, when you don’t have any content, even create reports from scratch!
This can all be done within Gamma. It’s easy, really quick and you will be surprised how good it looks!
By the end of the session, you will have a good idea of whether Gamma should be in your toolkit.
Andrew Smith
With 30 years of research experience, Andrew blends qualitative depth with quantitative precision to uncover the insights that drive smarter decisions, stronger customer relationships and business growth.
Andrew grew up in the media world, leading centralised insight and data teams and in 2012, he founded Insight Advantage to support both B2C & B2B businesses. Andrew is a joint author, with business owners from a diverse range of sectors, of a book entitled: “Success Secrets For Business Growth.”
In 2025, Andrew founded Padel Insights Network (PIN) bringing together players from across the market research, data and marketing sectors to play padel, network and have fun. To date, events have been held in London, Manchester and Leeds with more sessions planned throughout 2026.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/speak2andrew/
https://insightadvantage.co.uk/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/padel-insights-network-pin/

Register here

Award Finalists 2025 Submissions
2026-02-10 11:00 - 12:00
Come and hear from our 4 Award Finalists from last year about their submissions. Hear more about how they approached their work, the hurdles they overcame, what worked well and less well, and why they chose to enter the Award.
A great opportunity to learn from other consultants and ask them questions. Also an opportunity to find out more about the Award for 2026.
Our Finalists
AWARD WINNER: Wren Insight: Hannah Beech and Judith Terry
Reimagining the Students’ Union: transforming student life through a closeness-led segmentation

Wren Insight partnered with Reading Students’ Union (RSU) to revolutionise how a Students’ Union should operate in 2025 and beyond. Our ethnographic and closeness-led approaches informed and embedded a statistically rigorous and richly human segmentation, with students’ emotional needs at its heart. The research challenged outdated assumptions about student lives and directly shaped a new RSU in strategy, structure and services – including better targeted student provision and refocused commercial planning. This enabled RSU to secure increased University funding and deliver to its purpose of helping all students to live a happy and fulfilled life at University.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/reading-students-union/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-beech-9bb60752/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-terry-b68b6914/
Highly Commended: Open Questions: Joe Bonnell and Rachel Lewis:
XLH UK Patient Stories – How ethnographic research led to life-changing results for people living with XLH

This research was conducted by independent researchers Joe Bonnell and Rachel Lewis. It was commissioned by XLH UK, a charity that supports people living with X-Linked Hypophosphatemia (XLH), a rare genetic condition.
Our client had two research objectives:

Generate better awareness and understanding of XLH
Provide evidence to NICE / NHS England as they were appraising a game-changing new drug, Burosumab, to receive funding for use in adults with XLH on the NHS

This was a creative, sensitive and collaborative research project that combined excellence in the use of qualitative interviews and the innovative use of visual ethnography and co-production. Our work had major impacts for our charity client, XLH UK, and the people it supports. Our research contributed to a “life-changing” new drug being approved for funding on the NHS for use in adults living with XLH. Our key analytical theme, “navigating uncertainty”, became central to our client’s strategic vision, shaping the way they frame and oﬀer support, and guiding their communications. Our work also had a significant impact on our participants — feeling confident and empowered to share their personal stories publicly for the first time. This project highlights the impact that a small, specialist team of experienced, independent researchers, dedicated to working equitably and flexibly with our participants and our client, can achieve.
All outputs from the project are public domain, and you are welcome to view them here and here.
Joe Bonnell | LinkedIn Rachel Lewis | LinkedIn
Deep Blue Thinking: Nick Bonney:
Putting the Art Back into Artificial Intelligence

This submission was about harnessing the power of AI alongside rather than instead of sound qualitative research techniques. By using AI-driven sentiment analysis we were able to create structure around a large volume of customer feedback forms and open up the kind of modelling to our SME client (a regional security company) that previously would have been out of reach for a business of this size. However, we would not have got the same results if we’d simply been ‘slaves to the algorithm’ . By combining the machine learning with qualitative techniques such as call listening, spending days with engineers and customer depth interviews, we were able to develop a much more nuanced approach. Perhaps more importantly, we harnessed the power of face to face workshops to ensure we got buy into the results both from senior management and from team leaders. This has enabled the prioritisation of six key customer experience workstreams, each designed to address to a key underlying churn driver.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickbonney/
SMPL Research: Poppy Reece, Sean Marks, Maura O’Malley
Real voices informing real change for women’s safety

SMPL Research evaluated two women’s safety initiatives for MOPAC and TfL – an impact evaluation of the Women’s Night Safety Charter, and process evaluation of a safety audit programme led by members of the community trained as researchers. We used traditional research methods alongside creative digital ethnography to amplify lived experience. Our insights helped shape improvements to future safety audits and informed strategies to embed inclusive, community-led approaches to make London safer for women and gender-diverse people.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/smplresearch
Register for this webinar here

Transform historical research data into compelling new stories
2026-02-25 13:00 - 13:30
In this session hosted by QuestionPro’s Senior Account Manger Oku Egho, you’ll learn how to add multiple surveys onto their intuitive data visualisation and charting platform, Business Intelligence. If you’re struggling with limited funds, why not utilise existing survey data and create engaging new infographics, splicing data to produce narratives that will cut-through to give your customers that competitive edge.
What you’ll learn

Create interactive Data Vis to help showcase data and tell engaging stories
Build dashboards from multiple surveys in minutes not hours
Utilise smart widgets and fully customisable dashboards to build baseline reports representative of your brand
Take advantage of our exclusive 20% discount for ICG members

Our Speaker – Oku Egho
Senior Account Manager, QuestionPro
A dynamic, accomplished customer-centric Account Manager who’s spent the past 5 years at QuestionPro helping researchers, independent consultants and enterprise clients excel in understanding their markets, making better informed decisions whilst addressing complex insight projects.

Register for this session here
Online Survey Software and Tools | QuestionPro
(5) Oku Egho | LinkedIn

When the sh*t hits the fan - helping you with business continuity planning
2026-02-26 11:00
Join us for this frank, no-holds-barred, non-recorded, ICG-member only discussion.
We’ve probably all been there – or will be at some point. You experience a cyber attack, you’re suddenly diagnosed with ill-health or an accident, you go through a disaster like a flood, or a break-in or a fire…
The list goes on.
As business-owners juggling it all, all of this can be terrifying. So terrifying that it can feel insurmountable to plan for these things and know when to turn when they strike.
Now is your chance to do something pro-active. Join us to hear about what fellow ICG members have gone through – and how they came out the other side – and find out more about how the ICG can help.
This should be an enlightening session – don’t miss out. It won’t be recorded so that we can all share our experiences freely.
Special thanks to those ICG members who’ll be kicking the discussion off;
Kath Rhodes – Qual Street

Kath will be talking about how she fell foul of a phishing attack – with clients getting fake emails from her as a consequence…

Claire Salkeld – Hummingbird Insights

Claire will be be talking about how cyber attackers can try to gain access to bank accounts without you even realising, and what you can do to protect yourself.

Danny Sheahan, Delve Research

Danny will talk about his experience of receiving a cancer diagnosis while running a small research business, and what it taught him about preparedness, client relationships, and building business continuity.

Register your place here
