In this episode of the Greenbook Podcast, host Karen Lynch sits down with Emma LaPorte, Group Insights and Strategy Manager at Crown Resorts, to explore what it truly means to be a high-integrity insights leader. Emma shares her unique career journey from academia and agency life to healthcare, FMCG, and now experience-led research in the entertainment and hospitality sector.

Together, they unpack how rigor, curiosity, and creativity intersect in modern insights work, especially when decisions are emotionally driven and high-stakes. Emma discusses building stakeholder trust, navigating data quality challenges, and balancing speed with thoughtful upfront alignment. The conversation also looks ahead to the future of the insights profession, including the evolving role of AI, the enduring importance of human judgment, and why storytelling remains essential for influencing senior leaders. This episode is a must-listen for insights professionals seeking to elevate their impact.

Key Discussion Points:

1. Emma’s career path from academia to enterprise insights leadership
2. Balancing scientific rigor with creativity and storytelling
3. Building trust with stakeholders through transparency and integrity
4. Managing data quality and pressure-testing insights
5. The future of insights: AI, integration, and human interpretation

Resources & Links:

Crown Resorts

You can reach out to Emma LaPorte on LinkedIn.

Many thanks to Emma LaPorte for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

In this episode of the Greenbook Podcast, host Karen Lynch sits down with Joanna Byerley, founder of Talent Pools AI, to unpack how AI is reshaping hiring, leadership, and careers in the insights and ResTech space. Joanna explains the shift from traditional executive search to talent intelligence—a more strategic, data-informed way to map markets, pipeline talent, and benchmark salaries before a single role is posted.

She and Karen explore the emerging reality of jobless growth, the erosion of entry-level roles, and what that means for the future leadership pipeline. They also discuss how to build AI-native roles, what separates the 5% of successful AI initiatives from the rest, and why human judgment remains the irreplaceable core skill for insight and strategy teams navigating ambiguity.

Key Discussion Points:

• From search to talent intelligence: How market mapping, talent pipelining, and salary benchmarking create smarter, less transactional hiring strategies for insights and ResTech leaders.
• Jobless growth & entry-level erosion: Why AI-enabled productivity is decoupling revenue growth from headcount and what that means for early-career researchers.
• Careers as lattices, not ladders: How AI and role convergence (product, consulting, insights, tech) are reshaping career paths and the skills that matter most.
• What successful AI leaders do differently: Governance, focus on a few high-impact use cases, realistic 2–4 year horizons, and a culture that tolerates disciplined experimentation.
• The one thing AI can’t replace: Human judgment—the ability to weigh context, nuance, ethics, and risk in turning AI outputs into business decisions.

Resources & Links:

• Talent Pools AI – Executive Search & Talent Intelligence
• Joanna’s article: Platforms, Proof & Power – The New Rules of Insights & Executive Hiring
• Insights Career Network (ICN)

You can reach out to Joanna Byerley on LinkedIn.

Many thanks to Joanna Byerley for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

In this episode, Lenny Murphy sits down with Hakan Yurdakul, CEO of Bolt Insight, to unpack how AI-native research is reshaping qual and quant. Hakan shares his Unilever-to-founder origin story and the personal “bring summer forward” purpose that drives Bolt’s human-centric philosophy. They dig into BoltChatAI and why AI-moderated qual only works when it’s trained on real human interviews and supported by rigorous human-in-the-loop checkpoints.

The conversation explores Bolt’s Dynamic Personas—living profiles that refresh with ongoing human input—plus the limits of synthetic data for innovation. Finally, Hakan lays out a “Jarvis-style” vision for an AI assistant insights officer, and the duo reflects on what this shift means for trust, ethics, and the evolving role of researchers as strategists and storytellers.

Key Discussion Points:

• Hakan’s path from Unilever marketing/insights to founding Bolt Insight—and the “bring summer forward” mission guiding the company.
• What it means to be an AI-native research firm across quant + qual, and why “qual at scale” is now feasible.
• Human-in-the-loop AI moderation: training on real interviews, quality scoring, and guardrails to avoid “chatbot research.”
• Dynamic (living) personas and meta-analysis: how Bolt keeps personas current and useful without over-relying on historic synthetic data.
• The next 2–5 years: AI automates grunt work, pushing researchers toward strategy, storytelling, and doing more with the same.

Resources & Links:

• Bolt Insight
• BoltChatAI features: Dynamic Personas and Meta-Analysis.
• 2025 GRIT Business & Innovation Report

You can reach out to Hakan Yurdakul on LinkedIn.

Many thanks to Hakan Yurdakul for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

In this episode of the Greenbook Podcast, host Karen Lynch sits down with Jairus Lofton, Senior Manager of Strategic Insights at Panera Bread, to unpack how human-centered insights power menu innovation in QSR and fast casual. Jairus traces his journey from Hershey to Sonic, McDonald’s, and now Panera, sharing a behind-the-scenes case study on rebuilding Sonic’s core burger from the ground up using guest feedback, quant modeling, and rigorous testing.

He explains how culinary inspiration, trend data, and real-world operations come together to decide what actually makes it onto the menu—and stays there. Jairus also talks about serving younger consumers like Gen Z without chasing every shiny trend, why brand authenticity matters more than ever, how AI fits (and doesn’t) into his process, and the philosophy of “flexibility with rigor” that guides his work and advice for other insights professionals.

Key Discussion Points:

• How strategic insights at Panera Bread shape menu innovation, from guest feedback to foresight and trend spotting.
• A deep-dive case study: rebuilding Sonic’s flagship burger based on consumer dissatisfaction, competitive benchmarking, and CLT/taste tests.
• The complex cross-functional ecosystem behind “menu magic”: insights, strategy, culinary, supply chain, and marketing working in lockstep.
• Balancing trend reports, social listening, and culinary creativity to decide which food trends are worth scaling—and which to skip.
• Adapting to Gen Z’s desires for transparency, customization, and unique flavors while staying authentic to the Panera brand.
• Jairus’s advice to insights pros: cross-industry networking, borrowing ideas from other categories, and practicing “flexibility with rigor.”

Resources & Links:

• Panera Bread – Brand & Menu
• The Hershey Company (early career in retail sales & CPG)
• CAVA (example of fast-casual brand resonating with younger consumers)
• 7 Brew Coffee (emerging drive-thru coffee brand mentioned in the episode)
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You can reach out to Jairus Lofton on LinkedIn.

Many thanks to Jairus Lofton for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

Survey fraud is having a moment—and not the good kind. Karen Lynch sits down with Steven Snell, PhD, Head of Research at Rep Data, to unpack findings from the forthcoming State of Fraud 2025 initiative, which analyzed 4.1B+ survey attempts.

Steven explains how Research Defender detects evolving tactics (from hyperactivity spikes to location spoofing and batch fraud), why inattentiveness isn’t the same as fraud, and what varies across B2C vs. B2B and by region.

Most importantly, he shares a pragmatic three-part playbook for researchers: better design, always-on fraud prevention, and principled data cleaning. If you care about data quality, respondent trust, and keeping your insights credible, this conversation will help you stay one step ahead—and a lot smarter than the fraudsters.

Key Discussion Points:

• Fraud vs. inattention: distinct problems that often get conflated
• “Hot fraud summer”: hyperactivity surges and what drove them
• Regional patterns: diverse, tech-enabled fraud in large markets vs. volume tactics elsewhere
• B2C vs. B2B: duplicate entries vs. compound/batch, and why incentives matter
• The playbook: user-friendly survey design, proactive fraud defense, and pre-defined cleaning rules

Resources & Links:

• Rep Data
• Research Defender — fraud prevention platform
• Webinar recap: “The State of Fraud” Q&A highlights
• Research on Research hub (methodology deep dives)

You can reach out to Steven Snell on LinkedIn.

Many thanks to Steven Snell for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

Conveo co-founder & CPO Hendrik Van Hove joins Lenny Murphy to unpack how AI is reshaping market research—from the rapid normalization of AI moderation to new agency business models and always-on consumer access. Hendrik traces Conveo’s origin (McKinsey to Y Combinator), the importance of bringing veteran researchers into the loop, and why enterprise teams are shifting from “fewer, bigger” studies to many rapid, compounding projects that speed impact (e.g., Unilever sprint examples).

The conversation ranges into what’s next: privacy-centric data ownership, wearables that enable seamless voice/video qual at the shelf, and building living consumer models (digital twins) that connect research directly to decisions. If you’re navigating AI adoption, panel strategy, or the future of insights workflows, this one’s a blueprint.

Key Discussion Points:

• From idea to YC: Why research was a “perfect AI use case” and how Conveo blended tech + MRX expertise.
• AI moderation is table stakes: Market skepticism flipped to acceptance in under a year—and what “better” really means.
• Agency & enterprise transformation: More projects, faster iteration, and business-model shifts beyond cost/speed.
• Data ownership & privacy: Toward participant-controlled data and monetization as passive/voice inputs expand.
• What’s next: Wearables, always-on access, and “digital twin” consumer models that compound learning over time.

Resources & Links:

• Conveo
• Y Combinator
• ESOMAR
• MRII
• GRIT Insights Practice Report
• Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses

You can reach out to Hendrik Van Hove on LinkedIn.

Many thanks to Hendrik Van Hove for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

Visa’s Paula Guarín, Head of Consumer Insights & Marketing Analytics for Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC), joins Karen Lynch to unpack how a 13-person team blends primary research with transactional data to drive brand and business results. Paula shares her career path from agency intern to regional leader, explains why embedding insights leaders in-country matters, and breaks down six priority areas—from agile testing to say-do correlation and ROI on insights.

She also spotlights region-specific dynamics (Brazil/Argentina vs. Mexico/DR), double-digit e-commerce growth, and how agentic AI may reshape purchase behavior. Plus: building revenue by selling research to clients, Visa University’s role in upskilling, “five trends in five minutes,” and fresh learnings on ultra-affluent travelers and category liquidity. A masterclass in impact, communication, and human-centered research at scale.

Key Discussion Points:

• Team design: In-country insight leads + regional standards for speed and comparability.
• Data fusion: Precise surveys + transactional “do” data to measure real impact.
• Core priorities: Thought leadership, agile testing, tracking/MMM, descriptives, say-do, and client-funded studies.
• Regional nuance: Different disruption levels (Brazil/Argentina vs. Mexico/DR) and why local vendors matter.
• Trends: Double-digit e-commerce growth and early signals of AI agents influencing purchases.

Resources & Links:

• Visa
• IIEX LATAM
• Walmart Luminate

You can reach out to Paula Guarin on LinkedIn.

Many thanks to Paula Guarin for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

In this episode of the Greenbook Podcast, host Karen Lynch sits down with Matt O’Mara, President of Cranbrook Search Consultants, to discuss the state of hiring and career development in the insights industry. With more than 30 years of experience spanning client, supplier, and recruiting roles, Matt offers an insider’s view on the opportunities and challenges shaping today’s job market.

From the advantages of working with a search firm, to misconceptions about recruiters, to the growing role of AI in hiring and candidate preparation, this conversation is packed with timely advice. Whether you’re an active job seeker, a hiring manager navigating a slow market, or a researcher thinking about your next career step, Matt’s perspectives on networking, skill-building, and the future of work will leave you with actionable takeaways.

Key Discussion Points:

• Why search firms can be a strategic advantage for both candidates and hiring companies
• Misconceptions about recruiters—and how ethical consultants add real value
• Current hiring market conditions: demand shifts, sector slowdowns, and where growth remains strong
• The role of AI in hiring and how candidates can smartly use AI to prepare resumes and interviews
• Remote, hybrid, and gig work: how work arrangements are evolving in the insights industry

Resources & Links:

• Cranbrook Search Consultants
• Insights Career Network
• Freakonomics Radio (Stephen Dubner’s podcast)
• The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
• Marketplace with Kai Ryssdal
• Insights on the Brink by Tim Hoskins

You can reach out to Matt O’Mara on LinkedIn.

Many thanks to Matt O’Mara for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

In this episode of the Greenbook Podcast, host Karen Lynch sits down with Bethan Blakeley, Research & CX Manager at SimpliSafe UK, to discuss her journey from agency-side researcher to client-side insights leader. Bethan shares what it’s like to be a research team of one, balancing strategic priorities with stakeholder demands, and how she builds trust with both agencies and internal partners.

She also opens up about work-life balance as a parent of two, the importance of transparent communication, and why trust is at the heart of successful client–agency partnerships. From shaping TV ad campaigns to instilling customer-centricity across her organization, Bethan reveals how insights come to life when researchers are empowered.

Key Discussion Points:

• Transitioning from agency to client side and lessons learned.
• Building insights functions as a team of one at SimpliSafe UK.
• Why trust and transparent communication are essential in client–agency relationships.
• Balancing stakeholder priorities while driving strategic research.
• Navigating parental leave, work-life balance, and modeling healthy boundaries.

Resources & Links:

• SimpliSafe UK
• SimpliSafe US
• Zappi
• AURA UK

You can reach out to Bethan Blakeley on LinkedIn.

Many thanks to Bethan Blakeley for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

In this episode of the Greenbook Podcast, host Karen Lynch sits down with longtime friend and industry veteran Michelle Finzel, Senior Manager of Consumer Insights at DAP Global. Michelle shares her unique career journey — from growing up in her mother’s market research business, to running Maryland Marketing Source for nearly a decade, to making the leap into corporate life at a leading home improvement manufacturer.

She reflects on navigating the challenges of COVID, letting go of business ownership, and discovering new fulfillment and balance in an in-house role. Along the way, Michelle offers valuable lessons on transferable skills, building collaborative teams, streamlining vendor relationships, and embracing change with confidence.

Key Discussion Points:

• Michelle’s career evolution from small business owner to corporate insights leader
• Lessons learned transitioning from self-employment to working within a large organization
• How DAP integrates research into product development and innovation
• Balancing in-house capabilities with trusted external research partners
• The importance of community, collaboration, and inclusive workplace initiatives

Resources & Links:

• DAP Global
• Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA)

You can reach out to Michelle Finzel on LinkedIn.

Many thanks to Michelle Finzel for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.