Sustainability Changemaker of the Year – Finalists 2025

The Sustainability Changemaker Award sponsored by Hannelius Recruitment seeks to recognise individuals in the research, insight and data analytics sector who are motivated to make meaningful change and take steps to be part of the solution to the growing climate crisis.

Nominations were open to all, and the judges looked for individuals who have made significant contributions in their organisations to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable practices in line with the MRS Climate Pledge (or equivalent sustainability mark).

Congratulations to the two exceptional finalists below. The winner will be announced at the MRS Excellence Awards lunch on 6 June. The award reflects the MRS Sustainability Council’s commitment to relentlessly drive forward and embed positive change across the sector supporting organisations and teams on the journey to reduce carbon emissions.

The judges

Rebecca Cole CMRS, Managing Director, Cobalt Sky
Jonathan Hall CMRS, Managing Partner, Sustainable Transformation Practice, Kantar
Jenny Kedros CMRS, Director, Kedros Consulting
Estelle Levacher MMRS, Director, Levelle Consulting

The finalists

James Nevard
Head of Qualitative Research, Linney

Nominated for: Developing and delivering a sustainability training programme.

James says: “My most significant contribution has been developing and delivering our sustainability training programme, a course I co-run with our Head of Sustainability. This one-day workshop highlights the impact we have as individuals, the complexities, and contradictions we face in our day-to-day lives, the need to drive change within our business and the importance of transparency and peer-to-peer learning in fostering a genuine culture of sustainability. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and we’ve extended the opportunity to attend the session to our wider network, including our suppliers, partners, and clients, helping to create a culture of knowledge-sharing across the businesses we collaborate with.

I draw on insights from our carbon emissions dashboard to continually refine the training course by identifying current and emerging priority areas to ensure our training remains targeted and effective in reducing our environmental impact. Paper usage, product end of life, electricity usage and commuting to work by car are key areas of focus over the coming year. The training programme has created tangible change. During a course, I facilitated discussions around transitioning to a green energy tariff with senior leadership, leading to a board-level review and approval. This decision has eliminated our Scope 2 emissions, reducing our overall emissions by 9% and removing 2,982 tonnes of carbon from our footprint annually.

Beyond the training programme, I have established a sustainability repository. This centralised resource from the last seven years of research, publications and journals, provides our Insight team with key data points, behavioural principles, and valuable insights into sustainable behaviour change. This resource is actively used to inform our work, strengthen client engagements and foster knowledge-sharing across the business”.

The judges said: “This was a great entry that demonstrated how effective and far reaching the training courses James established have been. The sustainability repository is a notable and valuable resource, highlighting that his passion for sustainability is backed up with practical action”.

Magdalena Zajaczkowska
Senior Operations Manager, ClearView Research

Nominated for: Ensuring our operations contribute positively to reducing carbon emissions and driving broader sector wide change.

Magdalena says: “When I joined ClearView Research (CVR), one of my key priorities was ensuring sustainability wasn’t just a buzzword. I wanted to make a real difference, so began by calculating our carbon footprint and setting a clear baseline. In 2022, we published our first Carbon Footprint Report, and we are currently working on our fourth. 

I introduced a quarterly carbon footprint employees survey to track activities such as energy consumption and business travel, providing crucial data and allowing us to see how we can make adjustments in real time. Capturing this data allowed me to write and publish our first Carbon Reduction Plan. Sustainability is now a core part of CVR’s culture. It’s not just a top-down initiative; everyone is encouraged to participate. I also established internal workshops called Hands on Ops which among other ops related topics highlight how small changes—whether reducing emissions or increasing climate awareness—can make a significant impact.

I’ve fostered an environment where everyone feels empowered to ask questions and share ideas.   

True change happens when we work together. That’s why I’m committed to sharing our learnings with others. When seeking new partnerships, we openly share our emission reduction strategies and suggest sustainable business solutions. At the MRS Agency Owners & Leaders' Summit in 2023, I moderated a roundtable discussion on flexible working arrangements emphasising its positive environmental impact. This discussion led to several participants committing to reevaluate their own flexible working policies, helping to reduce their carbon footprints.”

The judges said: “Magdalena’s entry was impressive, with clear evidence and measured impact in relation to the MRS Climate Pledge. She has shown how to make positive impact internally and externally and is a fantastic role model for other agencies on how to make research happen in a more sustainable way.”