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Celebrating India’s Trailblazers at the Insight250 Global Awards 2025
The Insight250 Awards 2025, presented by mTab in collaboration with ESOMAR, once again celebrated the global pioneers and innovators shaping the future of market research, data, and insights.
Launched in 2021, Insight250 recognises the world’s most influential leaders across academia, enterprises, agencies, technology, consulting, and media who are redefining the insights industry through innovation and excellence.
This year, India made a powerful mark on the global stage, with nine winners recognised for their outstanding contributions and visionary leadership:
Anjana Pillai, Nandita Singh, Nitin Kamat, Priya Lobo, Rutu Mody-Kamdar, PhD, Sandeep Singh, Shafali Arora, Shuvadip Banerjee, and Sidharth Chaturvedi.
The Insight250 Legends honour those who have made a long-standing impact on the industry through innovation, leadership, and commitment, with selections based on a global industry vote and an in-depth evaluation process.
In partnership with ESOMAR, the selection process assesses multiple dimensions including professional achievements, academic excellence, published research, thought leadership, and industry influence.
India’s strong presence among this year’s honourees underscores the region’s growing influence in shaping global research and insights excellence.
Explore the full list of winners: https://www.insight250.com/2024-winners
Based on the ESOMAR’s Global Market Research report, the MR industry is projected to be valued at $150 billion this year, driven by rising client demand for reliable, actionable insights.
Market Size & Growth
- Projected to reach $150 billion by 2025 (ESOMAR report).
- Growth fueled by rising demand for accurate, reliable insights to guide business decisions.
Key Industry Shifts
- More Data-Driven – Greater reliance on data for decision-making.
- Customer-Centric Insights – Deeper focus on understanding customer needs and behaviors.
- Global Expansion – Firms extending reach to international markets.
- Increased Competition – Crowded marketplace pushing differentiation.
Impact on MR Companies
- Need to adopt new tools, technologies, and methods to keep pace.
- AI, digital marketing tools, and advanced analytics becoming essential.
- Online data collection growing due to increased digital engagement post-COVID.
Global Trends Shaping the Industry
- Growth of the digital economy → more online research & analytics.
- Expansion of the gig economy → more freelance MR opportunities.
- Rising middle class in developing nations → new market opportunities.
- AI advances → faster, more accurate data analysis.
- Sustainability focus → environmentally conscious research solutions.
Regional Trends
- Asia & emerging markets gaining focus due to economic growth and business expansion.
4 Prominent MR Trends to Watch going forward
- Ethical Research – Transparency, privacy, and participant trust.
- Online Research Dominance – Cost-effective, scalable, rich behavioral data.
- AI Integration – For processing big data, spotting trends, and analyzing social media.
- Customer Experience as a Core Metric – Tracking interactions to improve services.
The MR industry is being reshaped by technology, ethics, and evolving customer expectations. AI, online data collection, and customer experience will be central to competitive advantage, while ethics and transparency remain non-negotiable.
Follow the full article here : https://research-network.co/market-research-industry-trends-in-2025/
In a landmark move for the global market and social research sector, the Global Data Quality Initiative (GDQ) has announced the launch of its Data Quality Excellence Pledge, a shared industry commitment designed to set clear quality benchmarks for research buyers and provide verifiable proof of quality claims.
The pledge comes at a pivotal time, as the research, insights, and analytics industry continue to lead in
leveraging data for informed decision-making. By signing the pledge, organizations commit to upholding the
highest standards of data integrity, transparency, and ethical practice, while working collectively to combat
fraud. Over 70 organizations worldwide have already endorsed the initiative.
The Data Quality Excellence Pledge outlines a comprehensive framework that urges organizations to:
- Uphold Rigorous Data Quality Standards: Verify participant consent and identity, secure surveys from entry to exit, and maintain robust operational procedures.
- Provide Transparency: Disclose sample classifications, share data quality metrics, and detail supporting methodologies such as ISO or internal SOPs.
- Protect Participant Experience & Rights: Comply with ethical codes, global privacy laws like GDPR, and adopt best practices in questionnaire design.
- Enable Education & Collaboration: Continuously review standards, train teams and partners, and contribute to industry best practices.
- Participate in GDQ Initiatives: Maintain industry association memberships, support GDQ data requests, and use consistent data quality terminology.
“This is a powerful statement of commitment from companies worldwide to raise the bar for data quality across the ecosystem. The pledge is more than a symbol — it’s a promise to build trust and drive transparency in every interaction with data,” said Melanie Courtright, CEO of the Insights Association.
Debrah Harding, Managing Director of the Market Research Society, emphasized: “By uniting under this common pledge, we’re paving the way for innovation and accountability throughout the industry. This initiative ensures the insights we deliver are as reliable as they are impactful.”
Rachel Alltmont, President of SampleCon, added: “The GDQ Pledge represents an unprecedented level of cross-industry collaboration to address one of our greatest challenges — fraud. For the first time, competitors are setting aside differences to create universal quality standards. Together, we can protect data integrity far more effectively than any single organization alone.”
The GDQ Data Quality Excellence Pledge marks a significant milestone in the industry’s journey toward self-regulation, trust-building, and long-term sustainability in the global data insights landscape.
Follow the full article here: https://www.mrs.org.uk/article/mrs/gdq-initiative-announces-data-quality-excellence-pledge
As we draw towards the end of 2025, market research industry leaders are refocusing on data quality and representation, amid concerns that these critical pillars are being overshadowed by the excitement surrounding artificial intelligence (AI).
Babita Earle, International Managing Director at Zappi, warned that while AI is transforming the sector, the push for inclusive and representative data must remain a top priority. “The biggest challenge for our industry moving forward is data quality and representation,” Earle said. “While the desire to be mindful of representation is genuine, it has fallen off the radar and been taken over by other more ‘sexy’ topics like AI. There is and should be space for both.”
Earle emphasised that research remains widely misunderstood as a profession, with many entering the field by chance rather than design. Despite years of industry efforts, meaningful diversity and retention remain elusive. She cautioned that overlooking representation carries real business risks—not only in the data collected, but also in the people interpreting that data and applying empathy to insights.
“AI only increases the need to ensure we reduce biases and make sure what we feed the machines represents society and consumers fairly,” she added.
With 2025 being a year of rapid technological integration, the call is clear: market research leaders must balance innovation with a renewed commitment to fairness, diversity, and accuracy in every stage of the insights process.
Follow the full article here: https://www.research-live.com/article/features/preview-of-2025-the-challenges-ahead/id/5134213
The global insights community gathered at the 2025 ESOMAR Congress in Prague, where leading brands, agencies, and innovators were celebrated for their outstanding contributions to the fields of research, data, and insights. The prestigious ESOMAR Awards Ceremony, held at the historic Žofín Palace, recognised excellence across global and regional categories—showcasing how insights are shaping businesses, culture, and society worldwide.
The APAC region made a powerful mark this year, taking home several major wins that underscored the region’s creativity, innovation, and growing influence in the global research landscape.
Key APAC winners included:
- Qantas & Sprout Strategy – Outstanding Contribution to Consumer Insights (Regional Winner) for “What Is Premium?”
- Myntra & Thelightbulb.ai – Best Use of Data (Regional Winner) for their Trends Positioning Study
- Toluna & Coca-Cola – Excellence in AI and Automation in Market Research (Regional Winner) for Tomorrow’s Research Delivered Today
- Ipsos & Air New Zealand – Best Customer Experience Insight (Regional Winner) for Flying Through Turbulent Times
- ASB & Ipsos – Research Impact Award (Regional Winner) for The Power of Choice
- SprintStudio.ai & Dabur – Innovation Award (Bronze) for How a 140-Year-Old Company Caught the Fancy of 20-Somethings
In total, APAC took home six key recognitions, spotlighting the region’s leadership in applying cutting-edge methodologies—from AI-driven insights to consumer-centric storytelling.
As Gabriela Kusters noted, “This year’s awards showcased the diversity and creativity of our profession, proving that insights can transform both business strategies and societal challenges.”
The momentum from APAC reinforces the region’s role as a global innovation hub, redefining how data and insights drive meaningful impact in today’s dynamic world.
To view the complete list of winners, visit esomar.org/awards.