No results found

All MRS websites use cookies to help us improve our services. Any data collected is anonymised. If you continue using this site without accepting cookies you may experience some performance issues. Read about our cookies here.

Accept and continue A white arrow

Reject all cookies A white arrow

Cookie Settings A white arrow

In our 80th year, evidence matters more than ever - writes Jane Frost, CEO of MRS

MRS Leaders Forum
The VIP network for agency leaders

Book now

Date and time

May
20
2026

Wednesday
09:00–16:30

Large companies

£1050+VAT

Small companies

£850+VAT

Please let us know if you have any accessibility requirements ahead of the event

Booking Details A white arrow

In a nutshell
Programme

The MRS Leaders Forum is a unique network for insight agency business leaders (CEOs and MDs) to discuss the critical strategic, operational and financial challenges and opportunities in running and growing an insight agency.

This intimate and exclusive network provides a focussed space for senior leaders to extend their learning and skills whilst being frank about their current challenges. It’s the perfect forum to explore new sector-specific ideas, and connect with like-minded entrepreneurs and leaders.

Why join?

Accelerate your personal leadership development
Gain access to B2B experts who can help solve specific growth, strategic, and operational challenges
Absorb inspiring ideas from agency leaders who have cracked those tough problems!
Exchange views and problem-solve key business challenges with insight leaders tackling similar issues
Connect with a peer-to-peer mentoring network which will last beyond the year long programme

What makes the MRS Leaders Forum different to other leadership programmes?

Not only will you connect and collaborate with other leaders, you’ll also be able to discuss the very specific challenges and business dynamics of the insight sector. We know that it’s harder than ever to retain client value; we know that disrupters in the broader insight ecosystem are making winning new business challenging; we know that recruitment and retention has never been tougher; we know that business leaders are facing a hurricane of new strategic decisions. That’s why we’ve designed a programme of events that will support leaders to power through these challenges and continue to grow through changing times.

The year-long programme of events comprises:

10^th March 2026: Private leaders’ lunch meeting @ Annual Conference

(for registered delegates)

20^th May 2026: Growth Forum - full day meeting
TBC September 2026: Social networking event
Forum members will also receive a 25% discount off tickets to the annual Agency Owners & Leaders conference taking place on the 19 November 2026.

The full day forum is an intimate meeting that follow the Chatham House rule. Delegates will be seated in small groups of 8-10 leaders with similar sized or focussed businesses to ensure peer-to-peer discussions are relevant to your interests. The day will combine expert presentations, panel sessions and round table discussions.

Peer advisory discussion

An important element of the full day forum is the open format we reserve for the final roundtable session of the event. Come to the forum armed with a specific business challenge you’d like help with solving. After briefly sharing the business challenge with your peers the table will vote on which two problems they will collectively aim to solve. Share ideas, hear alternative approaches, find out what’s worked for others. This collective brainstorming session is guaranteed to stretch leaders’ mindsets and open you up to new ideas.

The MRS Leaders Forum promotes a shared learning journey which will accelerate your personal leadership development.

There are limited places on all our leaders’ events so book early.

Book your place and you’ll never be lonely at the top again!

With special thanks to:

Norstat

Norstat is a European data collection company with large proprietary active online panels in the UK, Ireland and 17 other countries. As we own the panels, we can profile the audiences our customers want to speak to as well as provide reassurance about the source of data. Data quality is about recruitment, registration, and engagement of panellists, as well as in-survey controls. Norstat is a trusted data collection partner for many market researchers, delivering stress free fieldwork with high-quality data.

Media Partner

Breaking market research news, latest job vacancies, industry reports, in-depth analysis and cutting-edge opinion for customer insight professionals.

MRS 80th anniversary sponsor:

WALR

Walr is a data creation company that supports insight professionals globally. It specialises in reaching diverse audience segments, leveraging proprietary technology, and offering bespoke services.

With a comprehensive suite of tools, backed by a team of seasoned industry professionals, Walr’s services include efficient data collection methods, intuitive data visualisation and reporting techniques, and supportive and transparent advice.

Walr exists to unify the complex and fragmented research process by introducing more efficient, rapid, and straightforward methods.

MRS is proud to support:

MRBA

The MRBA is the industry’s only charity and is here for when life gets tough. The MRBA assists those facing financial hardship due to illness, bereavement, personal difficulties, or imminent financial distress. To date it has supported over 1,100 individuals, distributing more than £1 million in aid, either through grants or interest-free loans.

The MRBA is here for anyone, young or old, who has worked in the UK market or social research industry, as a supplier or client, for at least two years – whether in research, insights, operations, analysis, interviewing or management.

The MRBA also offers bursaries for those wishing to further their research knowledge and gain qualifications but who are unable to fund it financially. If you would like to learn more, or help us to provide financial support to colleagues in distress.

Growth Forum – 20^th May
09.15-09.45	Registration & coffee
09.45-10.00	Introduction from the Chair Paul Griffiths, Growth Consultant, Client Advocates
10.00-10.20	CASE STUDY The operational roadmap to transforming your agency This session will consider a new organisation design to support continued growth and to futureproof your agency in a fast-changing market.
10.20-10.30	Q&A
10.30-10.50	PRESENTATION You want to be a consultative agency? Here’s the missing link Senior clients want sharper judgement, earlier clarity, and trusted partners when the stakes are high. Most importantly, they’re prioritising outcomes over outputs and are seeking more consultative relationships. But becoming more consultative is a leap too big for the majority of client teams. Great project delivery doesn’t automatically translate into advisory confidence. This session reveals the practical, non-daunting micro behaviours that move teams, at pace, from running projects to shaping decisions, the behaviours that build commercial confidence without pretending teams have transformed into management consultants overnight. Nicole Duckworth, Commercial Transformation Director, 4twenty2
10.50-11.00	Q&A
11.00-11.30	break
11.30-12.30	PANEL & ROUND TABLE Ownership value and growth in the insights industry What is the best ownership model to achieve sustainable growth and success for your agency? As the insights industry transforms, so must the ways its agencies are owned, financed, and administered. This session examines what ownership means in 2026 and beyond, exploring models from public and private ownership to employee stock ownership plans, private equity, and venture capital. Hear from current and former CEOs to understand which ownership structures best support different types of organisations. Discover “ownership personas” that reflect distinct models and mindsets. And, through interactive exercises, explore how each structure shapes growth, culture, operational decision-making, and long-term value. Lucy Davison, Founder & CEO, Keen as Mustard Marketing Kahren Kersten, Founder, Experience Insights & Senior Consultant, Cambiar Consulting CEO panel – panellists to be announced
12.30	Lunch
14.00-14.20	CASE STUDY Selling Truth: how to turn around, prepare and sell an agency in under two years Matilda shares the real story behind the turnaround and sale of Truth Consulting to Paritee. This session sets out a practical roadmap for agency leaders who may be facing similar questions - whether an exit is imminent or a future plan. It’s not a glossy success story. It includes setbacks, imperfect conditions and moments where progress felt fragile. It is also a transparent account of what it takes to step into senior agency leadership not having founded the business. · Creating a clear vision that became the core of the sale proposition · Financial preparation and discipline under pressure · How to position and market an agency to the right buyers · Using personal and professional networks, value mapping and non-obvious routes to find strategic fit · Managing a team through uncertainty, change and transition Dr Matilda Andersson, CEO, Truth Consulting
14.20-14.30	Q&A
14.30-14.50	TRAINING Future leaders by design: building leadership capability and succession pipelines that power agency growth In many agencies, future leaders develop by observation rather than design, they mimic what they see, often without training, support, or reflection. But this approach risks decisions become reactive, culture suffering, and potential leadership talent leaving or remaining undeveloped. This session will explore the mindset and skillset future leaders truly need to thrive and will equip agency owners, CEOs, and MDs to develop the next generation of leaders. It will examine how to teach and embed these capabilities in ways that are practical, scalable, and aligned with business strategy - moving beyond generic leadership programs to intentionally shaping agency leadership DNA. Rachel Fraser, Leadership Coach, Harvest Moonrise
14.50-15.00	Q&A
15.00-15.30	break
15.30-16.30	ROUND TABLE Peer advisory round table discussion Come to the forum with a growth challenge you’d like help solving. Working in small groups, delegates will select two challenges to tackle. Share ideas, hear alternative approaches and find out what’s worked for others.
16.30	End of forum Delegates are invited to continue networking at our informal drinks reception

Additional Information

Book now