Greenbook Future List Spotlight: Aeton Lim

Editor’s Note: The following interview features a 2025 Greenbook Future List honoree, Aeton Lim. The Greenbook Future List recognizes leadership, professional growth, personal integrity, passion, and excellence in the next generation of consumer insights and marketing professionals within the first 10 years of their careers.

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Aeton Lim, Innovation Consulting Manager at NielsenIQ and a Greenbook Future List honoree, brings a distinctive blend of strategic insight, curiosity, and global perspective to the evolving world of market research.

From mentoring future leaders to advancing sustainability efforts, Aeton’s passion lies in integrating innovation, thought leadership, and data to drive lasting business and societal impact. In this interview, he shares the personal inspirations, professional lessons, and forward-looking views that guide his career and shape his vision for the future of insights.

Outside of insights, what are your passions and interests?

I enjoy roaming around and traveling the world with my loved ones. There’s something deeply rewarding about experiencing new cultures, perspectives, and ways of life firsthand. Travel not only broadens my worldview but also provides a unique lens through which I can appreciate the nuances of human behavior. 

Beyond exploration, I have a strong interest for innovation management and strategy, particularly in how organizations can evolve to stay ahead in an increasingly turbulent world. I find myself constantly drawn to books, research, and conversations that dissect how businesses can integrate strategy, innovation, and transformation to drive meaningful impact. I find energy in engaging discussions that challenge conventional wisdom, whether it’s about business, psychology, or even cultural nuances. I am constantly seeking ways to challenge assumptions, push boundaries, and drive impactful change.

I also believe in the power of nurturing future leaders and helping to advise non-profits initiatives. Helping others grow and seeing their potential unfold is something that truly motivates me.

Ultimately, my passions seem to be tied by a common theme - the pursuit of diverse perspectives and integrative thinking with analytical detailings.

Who is your career role model or source of inspiration?

Being somewhat of a multi-hypenate, I draw inspiration from various groups, each offering a unique lens to help elevate my perspective.

Children inspire me with their boundless curiosity and fearless questioning of the world. I especially pay attention to their “why not?” questions, which challenge conventional thinking and remind me that innovation often starts with questioning the status quo. Their ability to imagine possibilities without limitations fuels my own approach to creativity and strategic thinking.

I draw inspiration from leaders and power players within the industry as they push the boundaries with their bold moves and decisive actions. Whether its a disruptive entrepreneur or a visionary CEO, I draw inspiration from those who take calculated risks, challenge norms, and redefine markets. The ones who balance vision with execution, boldness with pragmatism, and strategy with agility.

Artists, historial stories and movies provide a rich source of analogies and inspiration. Through cinematic storytelling, design, or philosophy, they capture emotions, movements, and ideas that transcend time. On occasions, I look to historical learnings, movements, and creative works to draw perspectives on strategy, leadership, and human behavior.

Insights consultants bring various perspectives and new ideas into the industry. University professors help me refine ideas by tapping into the first principles and underlying philosophy behind approaches.

Ultimately, my sources of inspiration come from a blend of curiosity, boldness, creativity, resilience, and strategic thinking. I believe that staying open to multiple influences is what allows me to bring fresh, high-impact ideas to the table.

When did you know you wanted to enter a career in insights, and what inspired you?

I was inspired by Death, Lecturer and Uncle.

I had the chance to be mentored by the ex-general manager of Tenderfresh, a local giant in the South-east region during my early school days. 

Many years after I had graduated, we met for a festive catch up. It was when he had just undergone heart stent surgery, and that conversation changed my perspective on life. He asked me a simple but profound question:

“What do you want to do before you die?”

That moment forced me to reflect deeply on what truly mattered to me. Growing up, I watched my uncle selflessly support the community around him, always finding ways to help others. His actions inspired me to do the same—but with a business-driven approach. I wanted to be a catalyst for meaningful change, influencing business leaders within organizations so that good initiatives could trickle down and create a lasting impact on society.

To bring this vision to life, I decided to pursue a career in innovation insights consulting. I saw the power of strategic insights in shaping businesses, driving innovation, and making smarter, more sustainable decisions. If I could influence how organizations think, innovate, and execute, I could help them create products, services, and strategies that positively impact both society and business.

That’s what continues to drive me today—helping leaders make informed, high-impact decisions that don’t just fuel business growth but also contribute to a better world.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned from market research?

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in market research is the balance between answering questions and asking the right questions from a decision-maker’s perspective, questioning answers as a researcher.

Answering questions from a decision-maker’s perspective means going beyond just presenting data. Business leaders don’t just want insights—they want clear, actionable recommendations that help them make confident decisions. Answering questions in the compelling manner enables us to directly addresses business priorities, reduces uncertainty, and accelerates execution.

Questioning answers as a researcher means maintaining intellectual rigor, challenging assumptions, and ensuring the insights we deliver truly reflect reality. Good researchers don’t take data at face value—we probe deeper, look for biases, and validate findings against broader market dynamics. This critical approach ensures that we’re not just confirming what businesses want to hear, but truly uncovering what they need to know.

Yet, if you don't ask the right questions, you may never know the answers. Asking the right questions allows us to channel our energy towards what truly matters for the organization.

The intersection of these three mindsets is what makes market research truly powerful. It’s not just about providing answers, but also about questioning answers and asking the right questions that drive better decisions.

How has market research changed since you first started your career?

Since I first started my career, market research has become significantly faster, driven by technology, automation, and the increasing demand for real-time insights. In response of more dynamic and turbulent markets, business leaders today expect quicker turnarounds, faster iterations, and immediate access to data. 

Yet, despite these advancements, one fundamental gap remains unchanged—the industry still needs to gain the right balance of speed with depth and quality.

While tools and methodologies have evolved, the need for well-designed, high-quality insights that drive real business impact has never been greater. Rapid research can provide quick signals, but without smart research design and thoughtful interpretation, organizations risk making shallow, reactive decisions instead of bold, strategic moves.

The future of market research is about better decision-making through smarter insights. The companies that will thrive are those that invest not just in speed, but in insightful, well-crafted research that truly uncovers what matters.

What advice do you have for folks hoping to start a career in insights?

My biggest advice is to focus on what truly sets humans apart—thought leadership.

I believe that there used to be three human advantages: computation, storage and thought leadership. 

Yet, in today’s data-driven world, computation and storage have become increasingly automated. AI and advanced analytics can process vast amounts of data faster than ever before. However, the real value in insights doesn’t come from just crunching numbers or storing information—it comes from the ability to think critically, connect the dots, and inspire strategic action.

Thought leadership in insights means:

Asking the right questions—not just answering what’s being asked, but uncovering what truly matters.
Synthesizing complexity—turning raw data into clear, compelling narratives that drive decisions.
Challenging assumptions—questioning conventional wisdom and pushing businesses toward bold, innovative moves.
Bridging insights with strategy—ensuring research doesn’t just inform but actively influences business direction.

Focus on not only collecting data but interpreting, elevating, and leading with uncommon, privileged insights.

What are three skills you believe to be crucial to succeed in market research and why?

In my view, there are several crucial skills. My top three picks are Speed, Thought Leadership, and Research Design. 

In today’s dynamically changing business environment, it is not uncommon for business leaders to lean towards quick decision-making. We need to do more as market research practioners, to be agile and responsive to sync with the pace of business activities and also to be comprehensive enough to see around corners, and to anticipate and prepare for what's next.

We can help to shape industry perspectives by going beyong the granular and peering into the future with the bigger picture in mind. 

Effective research design approach ensures that the business is gathering relevant data in the most efficient and effective way while allowing businesses to make strategic, data-driven actionable decisions. 

Relationship forms as a by-product result of your competency, which helps you gain a deeper understanding of the needs and goals of decision-makers and communicate insights in a way that resonates with them. The ability to contextualise stronger helps to set bolder directions. Being able to align research with business objectives creates more collaborative, impactful insights that truly make a difference.

What do you think the key characteristics or qualities of a leader are? How does this play into MRX?

I believe that the key leadership qualities comes from being able to provide supportiveness, make bold decisions, gain buy-in from stakeholders, and having a clear and compelling gameplan.

Supportive: A strong leader empowers their team, fostering open dialogue and collaboration to drive innovative insights.

Decisive: In market research, timely decision-making is crucial. A leader must quickly translate data into actionable insights that drive business strategies.

Gain Buy-In: A leader must effectively communicate insights, aligning them with business goals to ensure they are understood and acted upon by stakeholders.

Gameplan: A clear strategy ensures that research efforts are focused, prioritized, and aligned with broader organizational objectives, ensuring impactful outcomes.

Tell us about any advocacy/volunteer/association work you're doing within the industry. What issues are you trying to solve? Why is this work critical for the industry?

Currently, I’m actively involved in advocacy and volunteer work through several key industry associations, including the Singapore Institute of Directors (SID) and the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP). Additionally, I collaborate with universities to support initiatives that drive industry-academia partnerships.

One of the issues I am focused on includes bridging the skills gap in market research by engaging with universities to nurture talents of the future.

One another frontier, I helped to advance sustainability ideas through International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP), which help to inspire sustainability professionals to lead their organization in sustainability aspects.

I also help to advocate for smarter risk management and growth strategies in the board communities. I believe that market research and data analytics can be leaned on more strongly within organization and be embedded for smarter strategies.

What trends do you see making headway on the horizon of insights? What trends do you think will falter in years to come?

In my view, trends such as Gen AI work automation in areas of unstructured data analysis, basic insights generations, querying the combined knowledge management helps to contribute to long-term value for organizations and are not easily replaceable in the near term.

On the flip side, trends around Gen AI's use cases in fully replacing advertisements may not be sustainable in the long term, dependant on how business leaders shape its evolution. This comes on the back of a recent neuroscience study that when executed poorly, AI-generated ads provides some (1) negative brand halo, (2) weak memory activation, (3) works as a double-edged sword in brand reinforcement and (4) utilizes cognitively taxing visuals. Given this, it may push organizations to approach Gen AI in advertising in a smarter tactical manner.

Where do you see the future of insights heading in the next 10 years?

In the next 10 years, I see the future of insights becoming more decision-centric, with a greater focus on providing actionable intelligence that drives real-time decision-making at all levels of an organization. 

Building unique methodologies imbedded with automated analytical modeling, that utilizes a practioner-level repertoire of actions could become the future of insights. Insights should move beyond just data reporting and trend analysis to become a core element in business strategy development. 

The advantages of the current professionals within the insights industry is that they possess contextual thought leadership, knowledge of what analytics capabilities is and isn't available, knowledge and experience of organizational work streams and processes, awareness of value behind opportunities and a growing knowledge management database of superior methodologies. Emerging professionals are already in the era of data analytics automation with technologically advanced skills. 

As organizations mature in its internal database of data, they start to gain further internal mastery over company operations and its playbook, fueling a more systematic approach to decision making. 

On the supplier-side of insights, the value shifts towards offering "news from the outside world" to inform and inspire organizations. The value will be in supplying innovation, fresh ideas, and market intelligence that organizations can incorporate into their ongoing work.