Operations Network: Keeping Fieldwork and Data Collection Strong - People, Policy and the Future
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Supporting the people behind the data
Behind every successful research project are the people who make fieldwork and data collection happen.
Yet fieldwork and data collection are facing growing challenges.
Organisations are navigating interviewer recruitment and retention issues, evolving employment legislation, changing procurement requirements and increasing pressure on resources, all while continuing to deliver high-quality, representative data. At the same time, innovative collaborations, industry initiatives and support networks are emerging to help strengthen the future of fieldwork and data collection.
Join the MRS Operations Network at this exclusive MRS Company Partner in-person event for an insightful and interactive afternoon exploring the realities of fieldwork and data collection today and the opportunities ahead.
We'll begin with Debrah Harding, who will provide an update on the latest legislative, regulatory and policy developments affecting fieldwork and data collection operations, including employment rights, workforce implications and upcoming changes that organisations need to prepare for.
Representatives from the Fieldwork Collaboration Group (FCG), Richard Bryan and Kathy Tomlin, will then share how competitors across the industry have come together to tackle interviewer shortages through collaborative recruitment, training and retention initiatives, helping to safeguard the future of face-to-face research.
Finally, Virginia Monk and Elaine Francis from the Market Research Benevolent Association (MRBA) will explore the financial, wellbeing and educational support available to people working across the research sector, challenge common misconceptions about who can access that support, and explain why raising awareness has never been more important.
The event will conclude with a panel discussion bringing together all speakers to explore the challenges and opportunities facing fieldwork and data collection today. Attendees will have the opportunity to share experiences, ask questions and contribute their own perspectives on what the industry needs to do next.
What you'll gain from attending
- Understand the key legislative, regulatory and policy changes influencing fieldwork and data collection operations.
- Learn how industry-wide collaboration is helping to recruit, train and retain the next generation of interviewers.
- Discover the support available to individuals and organisations through the MRBA.
- Gain insight into wider conversations about the future of data collection and fieldwork.
- Connect with fellow operations professionals facing similar challenges.
- Leave with practical ideas, fresh perspectives and a clearer understanding of how the industry can work together to keep fieldwork and data collection strong.
She first worked in accountancy and then moved to the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) in 1994. After working in auditing and compliance for ABC, she joined the management of MRS in 1999 to establish a new Standards and Policy department.
Debrah is the co-author (with Peter Jackson) of the book, Quality in Market Research: from Theory to Practice and is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Richard is an experienced leader in the market research industry and is passionate about delivering research that helps improve society
He was Managing Director at social research agency Qa Research for 20 years and was instrumental in gaining a strong track record leading research which provides a voice for under-represented audiences, with many of these studies being nominated, highly commended, or winning MRS awards.
In 2026 Richard played a key role in the merger of Qa with Blue Marble and Pye Tait to form Navigator Insight. As a Director at Navigator, Richard acts as a strategic advisor to the Board, bringing 25 years of research and insight industry experience to help shape the agency’s direction and support its growth.
With face-to-face surveying being one of Navigator’s core service offerings within its Data Solutions division, Richard was keen to find ways to address the declining numbers of interviewers which became particularly acute after Covid. He met Kathy Tomlin from QRS at the MRS Owners & Leaders Conference in 2024 and agreed to jointly attempt setting up an industry collaboration to recruit and train new interviewers to boost capacity across the UK. From this point on the Field Collaboration Group became operational and now consists of 18 research agencies.
With more than 30 years’ experience in market research, Kathy Tomlin has played a central role in the growth and development of QRS Market Research, one of the UK’s longest-established independent data collection providers. Since joining the business in 1995 and becoming Managing Director in 2014, Kathy has worked across all aspects of the operation, developing a deep understanding of both the commercial demands of research and the realities of delivering high-quality data collection.
QRS celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025 and has established an award-winning track record for operational excellence.
Having witnessed first-hand the decline of the UK’s face-to-face interviewer workforce, and the resulting pressures on resource, costs and delivery, Kathy was determined to help tackle the issue rather than simply watch it happen. In 2025, she co-founded the Field Collaboration Group (FCG) with Richard Bryan, with the aim of bringing together agencies providing face to face fieldwork to take collective action.
The FCG has a clear ambition: to rebuild and diversify the UK's interviewer pool, create new opportunities for people to enter the industry, and develop a sustainable fieldforce that can support face-to-face research for years to come.
Elaine’s love of fieldwork began on the ground, starting out interviewing and recruiting in Manchester. Over the years she has worked as a CATI Trainer and Centre Manager, to holding senior roles at a specialist qual fieldwork company. A dedicated champion of Field and Ops, she is a judge for the Operations Awards and the AQR Parker Prize for Emerging Talent.
As a Trustee of the Market Research Benevolent Fund, Elaine cares deeply about the people behind the research, and she was delighted to be part of the launch of MRBA inmind last year, helping make conversations about mental health a normal part of working life in our industry. Her commitment comes from lived experience: she struggled in her early working life, and she has spoken openly about it to help reduce the stigma around speaking up, so that others feel able to ask for support when they need it.
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©2026 The Market Research Society,
15 Northburgh Street, London EC1V 0JR
Tel: +44 (0)20 7490 4911 Email: info@mrs.org.uk