CEO Series

Margie Strickland & Sean Miller Reveal Why Your Customer Data Is Lying to You

As AI accelerates the pace of decision-making, this conversation dives into a growing tension in the insights industry: faster outputs versus trustworthy data. Margie Strickland and Sean Miller unpack why traditional methods are struggling to keep up, how passive behavioral data is reshaping what “truth” looks like, and why the future belongs to companies that can deliver accuracy, not just speed, in an increasingly automated world.

From Film School to Research Tech CEO: Andrew Reid's Unconventional Path

Lenny Murphy sits down with Andrew Reid, co-CEO of Rival Group, for a deep dive into the evolution of market research and the seismic shifts reshaping the industry. Andrew shares his unconventional journey from film school to building Vision Critical, one of the most innovative research platforms of the 2000s, and how that experience led to founding Rival and Reach3 Insights—now merged into the Rival Group.

Market Research's Biggest Disruption Yet with Eileen Campbell

Industry legend Eileen Campbell joins Lenny Murphy to discuss why AI represents the most profound transformation in market research history. Campbell, founder of Rival Group and the self-described "fairy godmother" of the industry, predicts a "barbell" M&A landscape for 2026—with massive funding for some while uncertainty challenges others. They explore AI's deflationary impact on business models, the advantage of data-rich incumbents, and why the insights industry must help marketers navigate fundamental changes in how consumers discover products and brands. The key challenge? Separating real innovation from "hyperbolic hype" as the industry reinvents value creation.Retry

The End of Insights as We Know It: Marc Ryan on AI, Scale, and Industry Transformation

Marc Ryan, CEO of Dark Matter Consulting, delivers a brutally honest wake-up call about the AI transformation reshaping the insights and market research industry. This isn't a future prediction—it's happening right now, and most companies are dangerously behind. Marc traces his journey from receptionist at a Canadian consultancy to pioneering digital measurement at Nielsen and Kantar, giving him a unique 30-year perspective on industry evolution. He argues that AI's rate of change is dramatically faster than anything we've seen—processing power doubling every 3-7 months compared to Moore's Law's 21 months. This isn't just incremental change; it's exponential disruption.

How Mintel and Black Swan Are Solving Innovation's 90% Failure Rate

Mintel CEO Matt Nelson and Black Swan co-founder Hugo Amos discuss their game-changing partnership to tackle innovation's biggest problem: 90% of new products fail. They reveal how combining Mintel's consumer behavior data with Black Swan's predictive analytics creates "predictive intelligence" that forecasts future trends before they happen. The conversation explores AI's role in market research, the challenge of "AI slop" contaminating data, and why human expertise still matters alongside automation. Both leaders share candid insights on navigating constant change—from startup agility to leading transformation at scale—and explain why vulnerability and adaptability are essential leadership traits in today's disruptive landscape.