Research Live Awards 2026 – Main Panel

No Biography Available

Catherine Haigh is the Director of Insight and Analytics, EMEA at McCormick, with over 20 years of industry experience across both agency and client-side roles. She is passionate about getting close to consumers and leveraging actionable insights to drive transformational business change. When she’s not decoding consumer behaviour, she’s cooking up a storm with McCormick’s exceptional flavour brands, perfectly blending data with creativity.

Seema has over two decades of media research experience encompassing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Having worked in publishing for the majority of her career she has specialised in working with commercial, marketing, subscription and editorial teams.
Seema has a passion for building bespoke research functions within organisations focusing on commercial outputs, an area that is constantly evolving.
Currently, at The Economist, she leads a group research function which focuses on growth, retention and product development across B2C and B2B business units. Previously she led research teams at Future Plc and Dennis Publishing Ltd.

No Biography Available

Joe helps brands, agencies, and partners make sense of how people are watching, engaging, and connecting with content — and where those habits are heading. Using Samsung's first-party data, he translates viewing and audience behaviour into sharper consumer insight and clearer ways to measure whether advertising is actually working.
He has fifteen years' experience across consumer insight, marketing, content, and partnerships. He previously led a 25-person team at WGSN, the world's largest trend forecaster, and before that worked in content strategy and partnerships at Omnicom and WPP agencies.
He is a trustee of Help Counselling, supporting their mission to provide accessible, affordable counselling services to individuals in London who face barriers to mental health support.
And yes — he wrote this about himself in the third person.

Neil is Director of ITV Insights Group where he is responsible for Insight across the company and sits on the BARB Board and the ITV Executive Leadership Team. He is a Fellow of the IPA and MRS. Neil has over 30 years of client-side research experience. His fields of expertise include: audience measurement, research, analytics, broadcasting and streaming, advertising effectiveness, content, and regulation. He is a recognised industry leader with a long record of transforming insight functions, championing measurement standards, and delivering commercial impact. Previously he was Research & Planning Director at Thinkbox, and Research Director at Omnicom.

After more than 20 years in client-side insight roles, including eight years at Virgin Media O2, nine at Sky and six at Royal Mail Group, Claire has founded her own consultancy. She has led B2B and B2C insight teams through major strategic, commercial and organisational change, combining research and analytics to turn customer understanding into practical action. Claire is passionate about embedding a shared customer language across organisations and evolving team capabilities through emerging methodologies. A committed advocate for the insight profession, she has contributed to the MRS through its Client Council, award judging, conferences, and is a long-standing AURA member.

No Biography Available

Georgie White, CMRS, is a commercially-driven leader with deep expertise in customer strategy, insight, data, and commercial growth. As Director of Customer Intelligence & Effectiveness at NatWest, she is spearheading the transformation of insight capabilities to unlock business value and drive strategic decision-making.
Previously Chief Customer Officer at Holland & Barrett, Georgie has delivered strong commercial outcomes and built high-performing teams across leading brands including BT/EE, British Gas, Hive, Capital One, and Merrill Lynch. She serves on the Market Research Society Board, chairs its Senior Client Council, and is a member of the EDI Council, where she champions inclusive leadership and fosters teams that create lasting value for both customers and the business.