After more than 25 years working across global brands including Estée Lauder, Clinique, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Anheuser-Busch and Colgate, Colleen Funkey has learned the value of looking at a problem from a different angle. She joins Change Agents to talk about how an early career experience changed the way she thinks about perspective, why the most interesting insights often live in the nuance and how researchers can build stronger relationships with the people who ultimately need to act on their work. Colleen also shares her perspective on AI and why she believes the future of insights will require researchers to move further into strategy, answering not only the “what” and “why,” but the “so what” and “now what.”

About Colleen Funkey

Colleen Funkey, owner of Grey Zebra, is a Consumer Insights and Brand Strategy Consultant with a passion for understanding people - what drives them, why they make the decisions they do, and how brands can connect with them in meaningful ways. Her journey began in South Africa, where she studied Psychology and developed a deep curiosity about human attitudes and behavior. This passion for learning and discovery drives her to uncover insights that fuel strategic decision-making and unlock brand growth.

With over 25 years of global experience in brand marketing, research, insights, and strategy, Colleen has worked with some of the world’s most iconic and beloved brands. She started her career marketing Colgate toothpaste before moving on to shape consumer-centric strategies for Anheuser-Busch’s legendary beer brands and later for the prestige beauty brand portfolio at the Estée Lauder Companies. Known for looking beyond the “what” to uncover the “why,” she specializes in translating insights into action to build brands that resonate, inspire, and endure.

To learn more, visit:
https://alteragents.com/

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
https://missionmatters.com/author/devora-rogers

What does good research look like when the results eventually have to show up on a store shelf? Raina Rusnak, head of market research and business intelligence at StarKist, joins Change Agents to talk about the role insights play in product development and bigger business decisions. She shares how StarKist uses methods including TURF analysis, taste testing and ethnography to develop new products, why she regularly brings research directly to executive leadership and the early-career mistake that still influences how she approaches her work today. Raina also shares her perspective on AI, including where it can make researchers faster and why she believes researchers still need to bring their own thinking to the work.

About Raina Rusnak

Raina Rusnak is the Head of Market Research and Business Intelligence at StarKist Co., a socially responsible company dedicated to providing nourishing, convenient protein products to consumers across the U.S. In her role, Raina drives product sensory research, brand health analysis, and the development of innovative flavors. With her expertise in consumer behavior, she helps shape strategic decisions that enhance StarKist’s product offerings and consumer experiences.

Previously, Raina served as Director of Consumer Insights for Ahold Delhaize USA, overseeing insights for five distinct brands. Her career spans both client and supplier-side roles, giving her a well-rounded perspective on leveraging data to craft consumer-driven strategies.

The author of Sampling Life, Raina was named one of Progressive Grocer’s Top Women in Grocery (TWiG) and recognized as a Woman Leader in Data by BuiltIn Chicago. Outside of work, she channels her passion for fitness into boxing and mountain climbing adventures.

To learn more, visit:
https://alteragents.com/

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
https://missionmatters.com/author/devora-rogers

Alter Agents Research Director Katie Zmijewski joins Devora Rogers to talk about the kind of complex, foundational research she loves most and what it takes to turn a mountain of data into something a business can actually use.

Drawing on more than 15 years in research, Katie talks about the projects that have shaped the way she approaches her work, from large-scale consumer journey studies to segmentation and jobs-to-be-done research. She explains why a mathematically valid segmentation still needs to make sense for the brand and feel recognizable to the people who will use it, and what can happen when that connection is missing.

They also get into the creative side of working with data, including the inevitable moments of overwhelm that come with complex projects and the experience and stamina required to work through them. Katie shares why she gravitates toward research that helps companies build a deeper understanding of their customers and gives teams a foundation they can use across the business.

About Katie Zmijewski
Katie Zmijewski, who serves as Research Director at Alter Agents, is an experienced market researcher whose curiosity about human behavior and decision making has fueled her desire to better understand consumers. She enjoys finding and illuminating the data-driven stories - marrying data integrity with report design. Katie has utilized many quantitative and qualitative methodologies across a variety of industries including, packaged goods, retail, technology, insurance, and utilities. She studied Psychology at Kalamazoo College.

To learn more, visit:
https://alteragents.com/

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
https://missionmatters.com/author/devora-rogers

How should brands measure the impact of creator marketing? In this episode of Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights, Devora Rogers talks with Gaz Alushi, Global President of Measurement and Analytics at Whalar, about bringing measurement discipline to one of advertising's fastest-growing channels.

Gaz explains why creator marketing should be evaluated using the same principles as any other media investment, shares the career lesson that changed how he approaches research and discusses why executives value uncomfortable truths more than reassuring data. The conversation also explores multimodal research, the limits of big data and AI, and why helping business leaders understand what data can and cannot answer is one of the most important roles insights teams play.

To learn more, visit:
https://alteragents.com/

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
https://missionmatters.com/author/devora-rogers

In this episode of Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights, host Devora Rogers is joined by veteran marketer and strategist Brian Aucoin to explore how listening to the consumer drives massive brand growth. Brian shares the exact moment in 2007 when a surprising piece of data from a Pizza Hut pilot program (discovering that online ordering led to significantly larger ticket sizes) completely revolutionized the company's media strategy and shifted dollars to digital.

Beyond the big wins, Devora and Brian tackle the very real challenge brands face when sudden, meteoric growth (like the COVID-19 boom) begins to slow down. Drawing on his leadership experience at Gooder sunglasses, Mattel and Disney, Brian explains why the answer is always to "grow from your core." He breaks down consumer segmentation for the uninitiated, explaining how to find and leverage your "ride or die" super consumers.

The two also dive into today's biggest macro trends, discussing why brands must act as platforms for real-life community building in an era of low trust. Finally, they tackle the elephant in the room: AI. Brian explains why AI currently has a "brand problem" and why, as automation increases, authentic human connection will become a brand's ultimate premium offering.

About the Guest
Brian has worked directly with growth stage, start-ups and fortune 500 brands for over 25 years. Disney, Mattel, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Pizza Hut and XBOX are among the large brands that he's worked with directly. He is actively working with brands and organizations on adopting the AI Marketing Playbook to scale growth. Brian draws inspiration from solving the difficult marketing challenges. He specializes in consumer-led and data-driven strategic planning and execution of campaigns.

To learn more, visit:
https://alteragents.com/

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
https://missionmatters.com/author/devora-rogers

On this episode of Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights, host Devora Rogers sits down with Rebecca Brooks to explore the growing "trust recession" reshaping consumer behavior. Drawing on years of Alter Agents consumer sentiment tracking research, Rebecca explains why shoppers are spending more time researching purchases, relying on peer validation, and approaching even routine buying decisions with skepticism.

The conversation explores how economic uncertainty, information overload, AI-generated content, and declining institutional trust are creating a new era of consumer decision-making. Rebecca shares what brands need to understand about today's cautious shoppers, why transparency matters more than ever, and how companies can rebuild trust in a world where consumers increasingly feel the burden of proving every purchase is worth the risk.

About the Guest
Rebecca Brooks is CEO and co-founder of Alter Agents, an award-winning market research consultancy that works with brands such as Snapchat, YouTube, Audacy, Viking River Cruises, Pinterest, and others to help them gain powerful, actionable insights. Named to Inc.’s Female Founders List, Rebecca established her company on the belief that research could be done differently. This disruptive, innovative mindset delivers high-quality insights to clients that bridge knowledge gaps and reveal key drivers of consumer behavior. She is co-author of the book, Influencing Shopper Decisions: Unleash the Power of Your Brand to Win Customers, which explains the forces that drive consumer decision-making, plus unveils key insights and strategies that marketers can use to maintain relevancy and grow engagement with consumers. Rebecca regularly shares her knowledge and original research on consumer behavior, the promiscuous shopper and brand alignment by speaking at national conferences and authoring feature articles for global publications.

To learn more, visit:
https://alteragents.com/

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
https://missionmatters.com/author/devora-rogers

In this episode of Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights, Devora Rogers sits down with neuroscientist and researcher Vanessa Hensler to explore how neuroscience, emotion and human intuition continue to shape better decision-making in the age of AI. Vanessa shares lessons from her work at Google, Pinterest and Reddit, including the insight that helped reshape a company’s growth strategy, why mixed methodologies often reveal what traditional surveys miss and why human-led research matters more than ever. The conversation also dives into the future of neuroscience in market research, the rise of AI-generated insights and the methods that still uncover the deepest emotional truths behind consumer behavior.

About the Guest:

Vanessa Hensler, Ph.D. is the founder of Outsight Insights, which operates at the intersection of neuroscience, business strategy, and storytelling to uncover emotional truths that drive action. She is a neuroscientist with over two decades of academic and industry experience. Her Ph.D. under Dr. Antonio Damasio was focused on the role of emotions in decision making.

She has used her research expertise to develop new company-wide strategies grounded in data at Reddit, Google and Pinterest. She has partnered with C-suite, led teams across product, market and safety research and helped clients across verticals drive higher ROI.

To learn more, visit:
https://alteragents.com/

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
https://missionmatters.com/author/devora-rogers

In this episode of Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights, Devora Rogers sits down with Julia Berk, Senior Director of Global Insights, Analytics and Research at Smartly, to explore how research leaders are navigating the AI era without losing sight of quality, context and human insight. Julia reflects on the breakthrough Gen Z research she led at Snapchat, why visual communication transformed social platforms and how AI is changing the way organizations synthesize, reuse and operationalize research. The conversation also dives into stakeholder management, data ethics, synthetic audiences, insight repositories and why semiotics still plays a powerful role in modern research.

About the Guest

Julia Berk is a Senior Director of Global Analytics, Insights & Research at Smartly, where she leads marketing science, analytics, and research. She focuses on building AI-powered systems that connect customer engagement, creative performance, and marketing effectiveness into actionable insights, helping global brands and internal teams make smarter, faster decisions. She previously held insights leadership roles at Uber Ads and Snapchat. 

To learn more, visit:
https://alteragents.com/

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
https://missionmatters.com/author/devora-rogers

In this episode of Change Agents, Devora Rogers sits down with Aarti Bhaskaran, global head of research and insights at Snapchat, to unpack the moment that shaped her career and why research remains a critical voice in business decisions. From early lessons in proving skeptics wrong to navigating AI’s growing role in the industry, the conversation explores what makes a great researcher, how to choose the right methodology and why human empathy and curiosity still sit at the center of meaningful insights.

About the Guest:

Aarti is a storyteller, strategic thinker and insights leader with nearly 20 years of experience in consumer insights. She currently leads global research & insights at Snapchat. In her role, she manages a global team to produce thought leadership to educate the advertising industry and marketing community on new ad formats, audiences and platforms through data-driven insights and empirical evidence. Her team also manages measurement relationships with Global Media Holding companies and media partners.

Prior to joining Snap, she was a client leader at Kantar managing a portfolio that included Microsoft, LinkedIn, Visa, TikTok and Snapchat. Before that, she built the Insights and Analytics practice at MediaCom Canada. Here she launched Canada-specific solutions to measure media performance to drive business for MediaCom’s clients. Prior to that, she was located in Singapore, where she was the Asia Pacific lead on brand performance and creative development research for PepsiCo and Friesland Campina.

To learn more, visit:
https://alteragents.com/

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
https://missionmatters.com/author/devora-rogers

In this episode of Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights, Devora Rogers sits down with Vita Molis, head of editorial at the B2B Institute at LinkedIn, to explore how thought leadership and research can drive real business impact. Drawing on her experience building the global insights function at TikTok, Vita shares how insights teams can move beyond reporting to become true orchestrators of strategy across organizations.

The conversation covers LinkedIn’s “drip effect” approach to brand building, the surprising role of curiosity in AI adoption and why B2B growth depends on long-term thinking, employee voices and multi-method research. It’s a practical look at how marketers and researchers can challenge conventional wisdom and make smarter, more confident decisions.

About the Guest

Vita Molis is the Head of Editorial for B2B Institute at LinkedIn, where she drives thought leadership and strategic research to shape the future of B2B marketing. She brings nearly 15 years of experience delivering data‑driven insights, shaping marketing strategies, and leading high‑performing teams across media and entertainment.

Previously, she built and led the global research and insights function at TikTok, partnering with top brands and major holding companies. Her work has been featured at Cannes Lions, SXSW, and Ad Week, and is recognized for blending analytical rigor with creative strategy. She also serves on industry boards and committees focused on elevating strategic thinking in marketing and advertising.

To learn more, visit:
https://alteragents.com/

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
https://missionmatters.com/author/devora-rogers