Morgan Williams on Curiosity, Adaptability, and Keeping Insights Human

Editor’s Note: The following interview features a 2026 Greenbook Future List honoree, Morgan Williams. 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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Morgan Williams, Director of Qualitative Insights & Strategy Operations at CMB and a 2026 Future List Honoree, has built a career defined by curiosity and a willingness to evolve. From navigating multiple career pivots to mentoring the next generation of researchers, she champions adaptability, kindness, and continuous learning. Williams believes that even as AI reshapes the industry, human creativity and curiosity should remain at the center of great research.

Outside of insights, what are your passions and interests?

I have so many passions and interests, it's hard to keep up! Outside of insights and away from the desk, I love to be outdoors. I live in a beautiful, wild slice of paradise down on the Georgia coastline. I enjoy year-round inshore saltwater fishing, birding, gardening, and biking with my partner Dave. If I'm not outside adventuring, I might be inside baking, 'saving the world' immersed in my quest for 100% completion of RPG video games, training agility with my German Shepard Golden mix River, thrifting for hidden luxury gems around the area, enjoying quality time with my mom and family, learning DIY techniques to fix the house, mentoring students and young professionals on career development, lecturing on insights for my local college, playing the guitar or piano in my office, or studying for my Spanish classes. There is simply never a dull day for me!

What's a fun fact about yourself that would surprise people to know? 

That I'm an avid angler! I really enjoy being on the water and the thrill of the catch. Growing up, I used to compete with my dad in local fishing tournaments and go out in his boat all the time. He taught me the joys of slowing down and living in the moment - after all, it's fishing, not catching! Some of my favorite moments on the water have happened outside of the US: trailing pods of dolphin in Costa Rica to find the Mahi and Sailfish or feeling skunked after a long morning of no action only to land my PB Wahoo.

My favorite catch to-date was my hardest: a massive tarpon in a rough sound on a cloudy morning. It took my partner Dave and my dad Tony to hold me in the boat amidst the swells and a little over an hour to land it. A very proud moment! Fishing combines my love of the outdoors with my love of travel. I've been to almost 40 countries, and getting to immerse myself not only in the destination, but the *fishing* culture is a really awesome way to meet locals and find the (real) best locals-only spots and haunts.

Who is your career role model or source of inspiration? 

Easy: my parents. I grew up watching their ambition, passion, and dedication to a craft evolve the world around me over time. When I was young, my parents worked 2 jobs and partnered on side hustles together - painting houses, installing fences - whatever was needed to make ends meet and fuel a larger goal (owning their own business). I watched as my parents supported one another towards this common goal while uplifting community members, upskilling themselves, and never missing a moment for family or fun. My dad was a master craftsman and true MacGyver - there was never a problem too big, and it would be solved with expert precision (like a true Virgo).

My mom is a natural businesswoman and is a ray of sunshine - she navigates every day with grace and ease, making work feel like an extension of everyday life and an opportunity to connect with others. Watching them EXCEED their wildest dreams as a team who considered and cared for those around them, stayed true to their word, and delivered outstanding service was my Masterclass in how to show up as a professional, and as an accountable, dependable team member, manager, mentor, and friend. While I have always had these great role models to guide and shape who I am, there is one person who believed in me early on and encouraged me to "jump" and change my life: Mr. Schwarz, my high school DECA Club advisor and Marketing teacher. He saw the spark in me early.

He taught me the world of Marketing and practical applications of business through a school store - giving me the opportunity to be a manager with real-world responsibilities before I could even get a 'real job'! He encouraged me to be the DECA Club President where I learned to practice my natural leadership skills, to compete in DECA competitions where I ended up going to State and Nationals for Marketing case study competitions, and ultimately, pushed me to accept a life-changing College offer letter that propelled me from a small, rural "Friday Night Lights" town to the big city dreams of Boston. I never looked back after I got on that plane; I think of Mr. Schwarz often and send my heartfelt thanks to him for believing in a bigger world for me. 

Since starting your career in MRX, what would you consider to be your greatest accomplishment? 

Successfully pivoting career paths multiple times with consistent momentum. While this accomplishment isn't the most shiny or obvious one to reflect on, it is the one I'm most proud of. Like so many others, I didn't plan for a career in MRX and once I landed in my first role, the world of insights continued (and continues) to unfold around me. I'm a curious and ambitious person by nature, I like to solve problems that don't always fit in tidy boxes.

So the ability and sheer luck that I've had in navigating a career path within the insights space unbound by methods or specialties but rather a desire to learn, grow, and evolve is really a special accomplishment. It marks the trust I've built in my partners and leadership, in the dedication to show up for people first to deliver excellent work, and the genuine care that I've taken to center work as something we GET to show up and do everyday, not because we HAVE to. These philosophies and behaviors all stem from the privilege I've had to forge a unique career path, and that is quite an accomplishment. 

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

Your first job is not your dream job, and it may not even be in the same ball park - that is OK. What I see often in the students and young professionals I mentor is a desire to get it "just right" on the first try. With internships, jobs, and even volunteer industry opportunities, there is an enhanced focus on the optics of the job hunt - what's the title, is it a familiar name brand, etc. - when really, the goal of STARTING a career in insights should be to be curious.

Simple as that. Whether you end up vendor side in SaaS/recruitment/facilities, agency side as an associate, or client side... or somewhere on the fringes of MRX, be curious. Ask questions. Put the puzzle pieces together to see the bigger pictures. What does this mean for my role, my company, our partners and clients, and most importantly, the goal of the insights we've been asked to deliver. It's all interconnected and no role or function is too small. Lean in and be curious; the rest unfolds along the journey. 

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

Adaptability to be able to deftly navigate the evolutions that come across our desks in the big and small ways everyday - from client needs changing to larger pivots that are different than what was planned. Kindness to center others in a team-centric industry where our job is to uplift the voices of consumers and partner with other insanely smart people across functions to translate research plans into compelling insights. It takes a village, and kindness helps us show up and see others first, then consider the task at hand.

Fungibility to expand your skillset and offer greater value across functions. If someone is running a free training, even if not directly relevant to your role, I suggest you attend. I strongly encourage learning as much about the industry, business operations, and research methods as you can through exposure and experience. The more you know how to do, the more valuable you are as a team mate, manager, and leader. 

If you could change one thing about insights, what would it be? 

Less AI! Beyond the insane about of environmental concerns that I won't open Pandora's Box on, our industry existed before and will exist alongside AI. We don't always need an AI infused solution to solve every problem; in fact, sometimes, it just overcomplicates an otherwise simple task or solution. I know this is the hot take of the moment, but I genuinely believe that this will dilute the true value-add of researchers in the long run, "so easy anyone can do it."

I'm already seeing this in my Market Research courses among undergrad students - why consider a discussion guide's flow intimately when GPT can tell you the most efficient/optimized flow (in theory). Humans will always know best, and research breeds creativity; AI breeds efficiency. To me, MRX demands more space for creativity than it does efficiencies. AI should support and enhance our work, not shortcut that process.