Driving Innovation and Elevating Talent: Katie O’Connor on the Future List & Behaviorally’s Mission

In this inspiring episode of The Greenbook Podcast, host Karen Lynch is joined by Katie O’Connor, incoming SVP of Key Accounts at Behaviorally, to celebrate the 2025 Greenbook Future List honorees. Together, they explore the importance of innovation, mentorship, and visibility in shaping the future of insights.

Katie reflects on her career journey, the qualities that fuel success in the research industry, and why Behaviorally chose to sponsor this year’s Future List. The conversation highlights emerging leaders, powerful quotes from honorees, and how industry-wide collaboration is shaping a more inclusive and dynamic future.

Key Takeaways:

• The Greenbook Future List honors early-career professionals driving innovation, strategy, and community impact.
• Behaviorally’s commitment to nurturing talent and future-facing solutions.
• Qualities like passion, resilience, creativity, and strategic thinking are consistent markers of rising stars.
• Mentorship plays a critical role in personal growth and industry transformation.
• Supporting initiatives like the Future List is an investment in the future of insights.

Resources & Links:

• Learn more about Behaviorally
• Discover the 2025 Greenbook Future List Honorees
• Explore Greenbook Events and get involved

You can reach out to Katie O’Connor on LinkedIn.

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

Transcript

Karen: Hello everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Greenbook Podcast. I’m Karen Lynch, happy to be hosting today, and I’m really excited to be talking to today’s guest. I’m here with Katie O’Connor, who many of you likely know, and she and I are going to dig into the Greenbook 2025 Future List, and we’re going to be talking about some of the honorees, and really we’re going to be talking about the company she now finds herself at, and their sponsorship of the list. But I’m going to let her introduce herself and her position to you. Katie, welcome to the Greenbook Podcast, First of all.

Katie: Thanks, Karen. Really excited to be here. Yes, as Karen said, I’m Katie O’Connor, and I will be joining the Behaviorally team in April as the senior vice president of key accounts, where I will be leading some of our strategic partnerships with our largest clients. I’m really excited to be joining Behaviorally. It’s a company which empowers brands with decision precision intelligence, and by that we mean leveraging AI-powered tools to decode consumer behavior and drive impactful commercial decisions. I’m really excited to join this company. I think it’s somewhere my career has led me, particularly because I’ve had a real passion for understanding what influences shopper choices, and using those insights to help brands succeed in a rapidly evolving retail landscape.

Karen: Well, let me be the first to, perhaps, officially be congratulating you [laugh].

Katie: Thank you. 

Karen: I think [laugh] it’s so exciting for me to be having this conversation and kind of welcoming you to your position, and also throwing you into a conversation about Behaviorally’s sponsorship of the Greenbook Future List this year. It’s such a valuable partnership. It allows for us to do so much more when we have somebody stepping up. It allows us to get the Future List Honorees to our events, and take to the stage, some for the first time, and also check out what the rest of the industry is doing. So, we really are helping to shape the future of insights with this initiative. So, thank you for joining us, and thank you, too, Behaviorally, for the support of this program.

Katie: Yeah, we’re really excited. I think it was—I jumped at the chance because I think innovation and growth in our industry has really been a strong passion of mine, so the chance to chat about the Greenbook Future List is really great.

Karen: I’m so glad. I’m so glad. So, let’s take a step back, though, and set the stage with you. You know, why are we having this conversation with you personally? So, tell people—us, myself—a little bit about your career journey, kind of some of the milestones to date that brought you to where you are right now. 

Katie: Yeah, so I sort of see my career as having a tale of two halves, [laugh] as they often say. So, I started out in research agencies. I started out at BrainJuicer, now System1. So, I like to think I also really started with a vision for innovation, and challenging the industry, and that really got me interested in continuing a career in this field. And after, kind of, first half there, I then moved into the technology side. So, I spent more recent years in developing technology for insights, and helping brands not just make decisions on the basis of insights, but evolve their insights functions with the adoption of new technology and advanced analytics. And so, I think at Behaviorally, that’s going to be a place where I get to play with both of those sides of who I am as the leader in this industry, both in a consultative fashion, working on client challenges, and as a technologist, helping bring new tools and ideas to our industry.

Karen: Yeah, excellent. I love that. Thank you for sharing, and I’m so glad for you because it does sound like a really good fit. So, you know, cheers, here—raising an imaginary glass—cheers to a healthy future there. So, you know, kind of thinking about you again as a professional before we dig into the Future List, I want to know if there’s anything that you personally kind of attribute some of your success to? And that could be a quality that you have, or people that you’ve met along the way, but you know, you’re on track in this successful career, and I like to just kind of take a moment to say to what do you attribute that success?

Katie: Yeah, it’s good to reflect, I think. I mean, certainly many things and many people, absolutely. I’ve worked with really bright people of this industry who have been challenging on all fronts, creating new technology, pushing D&I principles, really making sure that insights continue to grow and be at the core of our industry. I think from a personal perspective, I mean enthusiasm [laugh]. I’m definitely always excited to be here. I love to jump at chances like this to speak up and speak on behalf of our industry. And I think adaptability, too. I think the thing that everyone’s talking about these days is everything is changing; the only constant is change, and that’s something I’ve really learned to embrace within myself, and think about, how can I bring different skill sets together? Lots of different challenges require, sometimes, leaning more on, you know, deep thinking and consulting. Other times, it’s about thinking about really commercially, what is the business decision that you need to make. Other times, it’s move fast and leverage technology, and I think pushing all of those different areas are really important in being able to adapt to whatever the situation of the times, of the business challenges are has been really key for me.

Karen: So, kind of thinking about as you’re talking, I’m sitting there thinking, like, “Hmm, she sounds like she could be an honoree.” So, much of what you said is a part of, you know, what we ultimately—‘we’ meaning the panel of judges—so the Future List isn’t random; it’s not an arbitrary selection. We have a whole process for it, which I’ll explain in just a minute for our audience and our listeners. But there are certain qualities that tend to show up in people who do make the list, right? They are people within the first ten years of their career, which you have already passed that [laugh] so, you know, it’ll be interesting for me to get your perspective as well, but let me take a step back and kind of share a little bit for those listening about the Future List. So, you know, it comes up every year. So, we are currently honoring the 2025 cohort, if you will. People nominate people in the fall, and from that list of nominations, the nominees are invited to submit an application. Then, from those applications, a select group of finalists are chosen, and then those finalists are put before a panel of judges, who read—everybody’s application is read by several of the judges, and then they are scored according to, kind of, a matrix. And then the, you know, the honorees themselves, rise to the top of that. So, it’s a fairly rigorous process. It’s not just an arbitrary selection, and it’s not just a, “Oh, I think this person,” but it’s actually based on some criteria. So, it’s exciting for us every time to see the nominations. It’s exciting for us to kind of see who becomes a finalist, and, you know, and of course, for us to see the final list of honorees. So, before we get into the criteria, just in your opinion, from what you know about it, from what you’ve learned about it, and from what you know about Behaviorally at this point, why do you think they were inspired to sponsor this year’s Future List?

Katie: Yeah, I think all the criteria is really important, and you’ll get into what the details of those are. But I think the one that really stood out to me is innovation and creative thinking. And I think probably to hammer home a point that I’ve already made a little bit in this conversation is that innovation is just so critical to our industry and our ability to adapt with the changing demands of our clients, who are responding to changing demands of consumers. So, I think anyone who can push that innovation agenda with creative new ideas really can help us continue to grow and thrive and help the brands that we work with grow. So, I think that’s really critical, and I think that very much, from a Behaviorally perspective, aligns with what Behaviorally is all about, as well. We’ve been bringing some great innovations to the industry around advanced analytics with our PackPower Score, so I think there’s a real relationship between innovation, creative thinking, what drives growth for professionals in the industry, and what drives growth for agencies and businesses working in this industry.

Karen: Yeah, I love that. And I have some quotes, like, from some of these applications that I want to share with people, just to give people, again, some flavor, right? So, Emma Vaughan, who’s one of our honorees this year, she’s with Mindlab International, she said, “My career path, achieved without a formal degree, is proof that passion, dedication, and continuous learning can open doors. I want to inspire others to break barriers and redefine success on their own terms.” And I pulled up—I have a list of quotes that I can share more throughout this conversation, but as you’re talking I’m like, yes, that’s what somebody like Emma Vaughan embodies, right? And then there’s Stephanie Vincent with Harmon Research Group, and she writes, “You know, my growth in the industry stems from passion, resilience, and a deep belief in the power of storytelling. Data alone isn’t enough. We need to bring insights to life in ways that resonate and drive real impact.” These keywords, things that I heard you say also is, like, “I’m passionate,” like, people are passionate about certain things. They have deep beliefs. They’re really convicted, they’re really dedicated, and that’s what a Future List honoree tends to embody is somebody who like this, is it for them, right? They are living this. So. 

Katie: Yeah, I think, well, part of me just wishes if, in the first ten years of my career, I had that level of understanding about myself and what was driving me, who knows, [laugh] where I’d be. But I think reading through some of the nominees, really impressive the way they’ve been able to reflect on their careers and share those thoughts on what’s gotten them to this stage, I think it’s really great. And I think that point about resilience is really powerful as well. I think it’s something that can be a real challenge, and as we’re constantly going through periods of change, it’s not easy, but having that combination of passion and resilience, I think passion is often this, like, really positive, like, yeah, gung ho, which is great, [laugh] but it also isn’t our everyday reality. The work that we do in insights can be hard, and I think having the resilience to weather those challenges is really important.

Karen: Yeah. For sure, for sure. So, let’s talk a little bit about—because I love this and I love some of the themes that we’re bringing up, but I also want to make sure, let’s get over with what these categories are. So, you know, you had mentioned innovation and creative thinking, which you and I could talk for a long time about that, and we may start with that one, but also, so they are evaluated for innovation and creative thinking, they’re evaluated for leadership and strategic impact, they’re looked at for professional growth and ambition, industry engagement and influence, mentorship and community service. So, they’re not only, you know, doing impactful work, strategic work for either their organization or their client organizations, they’re thinking differently, embracing innovation and being on the forefront there. They are personally, mindfully developing their own careers and honoring their ambitions in one way or another. They are engaging and influencing others in the industry. So, they’re out there, they’re visible, they’re putting themselves out there, again, mindfully and deliberately, and then mentoring others or providing a service for the community. So, these five things come together. It almost feels like we’re getting needles in the haystack here, [laugh] which I think is, like, it’s a tall order to fill, right? So, talk to me just a little bit more about what else stood out to you in this list.

Katie: I think that idea around business impact is important. And I think there’s—just stepping back—impact in general is a real key part to that. I think as, you know, researchers and coming into the industry, we all—I think there’s a—I remember when I started, like, a key thing to be was very curious, and having that natural curiosity, and I think that’s something that’s really center to the people in this industry, but it’s also something that kind of holds us back from creating that impact. And so, I think being able to take that natural curiosity and interest in consumers, and channeling that toward how does that help brands make better decisions, have an impact for their goals? And similarly, if you’re interested in innovating in the insight space itself, how can that curiosity and creativity really drive towards innovation that’s going to have a commercial impact within our industry, as well? So, I think that as a combination of factors is really important.

Karen: I love that. I’m like, well, that sounded so smart, and I can’t wait to dig into that transcript. So, really good stuff there, Katie. Just really good stuff. What I like about it is connecting the dots between curiosity, and creative thinking, and strategic thinking because for a while there in my career, I was focused very much on creative thinking and teaching tools for creative problem solving, and you know, kind of helping organizations with a process to take, kind of, insights into their innovation pipelines. And that work is very often considered, you know, just using the word creativity, just it’s often considered a little softer than critical thinking and strategic thinking, and you know, the types of analyzes that go into strategy. I love the idea, and I have always believed that both creative thinking and critical thinking feed into strategy and the strategic thinking that is required, certainly within our industry. And it sounds like you and I share that value.

Katie: Yeah, absolutely. And I think they’re key because if we only ever did very kind of critical, analytical thinking, we wouldn’t get to the innovative ideas that we had, but if we also only focused on creativity for the sake of it, and what’s, you know, fun and exciting and interesting, it might not actually have any real value. So, being able to kind of have that push and pull of be creative, what’s the value? Be creative, what’s the value? Will ultimately lead to innovation.

Karen: Yeah. Cool. Cool. So, let me just kind of take a step back, you know, before we dig into some questions that I have just about the initiative in general, from your point of view. But did anything kind of strike you when you were reading through some of the applications yourself? Because what I did, just so everyone’s listening, full transparency, you know, we don’t share the applications with the world, but we do share them with our judges, and we share them with our sponsor today, who’s going to join us on the podcast. So, Katie has had a look at what some of the applications are like. So, what stood out to you when you took a look. This is all after the fact, after the honorees were chosen. What bubbled up for you in what you saw?

Katie: Well, yeah, there are lots of brilliant applications. I think one that really stood out to me was from Brynn Frawley at Mattel. I thought—and not just because I’m a Barbie fan—but she did some really interesting research that drove the launch of the blind Barbie doll, which is incredibly interesting on a research front, the insights that it takes to drive that sort of product development, but also the work that it takes to push for inclusive design. I think that, you know, really resonates with me personally, and I think it’s an important step forward for D&I. And I think in addition to that, she also did some really smart work around streamlining the innovation process. So, really deep, powerful insights around D&I, but also bringing them forward in a really efficient way, and then leveraging technology to achieve that, I thought it’s really, really cool.

 Karen: Yeah. No, I agree. That stood out to me as well. And you know, every year we get, kind of, in the nominations, there are many, many suppliers that nominate their coworkers, and then there are those brand-side professionals or corporate researchers that nominate their peers. And when that happens, I think it's a really unique opportunity for corporate researchers to also be in that mix of people that are doing really incredible work in that area of the industry that a lot of people don’t always have visibility into. So, I love that you called her out because also a fan [laugh]. And she’ll be speaking. We’ll get there, but she’ll be speaking. All of the honorees are given an opportunity to speak at an IIEX event, and of course, she will be taking the stage as well, so really excited for that talk in particular. Anything else? Anybody else you want to shout out? Because I love this [laugh]? 

Katie: Yeah, well, I’ll stick with your corporate researchers. I thought Rachel Julius from Amazon. I thought her work was really great, bringing advanced survey research techniques, driving deeper insights into customer preferences and behaviors, really interesting. She also touched on D&I in her contributions—not at Amazon, but at Under Armour—being really instrumental in shaping inclusive research and representative brand strategies at Under Armour. So, I thought, yeah, Rachel Julius did some great work as well. But I agree with your point around having more of the brand side involved. I love to see that too. I think some of the most interesting innovation in our industry comes from when brands and agency partners get very close. And I think it ties back to that point around, you know, creativity with a purpose and impact, and the more that we understand around the challenges that brands are facing, and that researchers or insights people within brands are facing and getting underneath, like, what their day-to-day is like, and what is it really like to help push research forward in the development of a blind Barbie doll? What does that look like, and what are the unique challenges in that situation? So, I was really excited to see a few of our brand-side colleagues coming through on this list.

Karen: Yeah, same, same. So, you know, like, note to all the brands that are listening right now, next year, when it comes time to start your nominations for the 2026 list, nominate your colleagues because it’s about them, too, and you know, it gives us a unique visibility. There is somebody on here that, also, when I was looking at this in the context of this conversation that we were having, I was like, you know, I really do want to shout out to Aneesh Dhawan from—the CEO—he’s from Knit, and the list of things that he was doing, I was like, this is actually—again, once I see this, and I recuse myself from some of the people that I might have a little inclination for, so I didn’t review his application personally, but afterwards, I’m like, yes, of course—you know, somebody who is not just building a company, but he’s like, in the conversation, he’s been at 25 industry events already. He’s sharing ideas. He’s, you know, mentoring the next generation through an organization called Techstars. So, he’s already mentoring even though he’s only been in the industry, you know, for ten years. So, he’s out there talking, he’s innovating himself, he’s engaging with the audience, he’s mentoring other individuals. So again, hitting all of those marks. And I think that’s what, if you aspire to being on the Future List, if you’re listening, and this is something that you like, you know, what? I’d love that honor for myself. Or if it’s somebody that you know, really want to help elevate, help raise them up in these spaces because the honorees themselves really do, kind of, hit a lot of these marks. So, anything else, Katie, you want to share before I kind of move on into just kind of the future in general.

Katie: Yeah, I think that point around mentorship is so important. And I think, you know, no matter your motivations, even if they’re selfish, you learn so much from—you get more out of mentoring, I think, than you end up giving, half the time. And I think that kind of relationship between mentor and mentee, you can learn a lot and, again, kind of push that innovation agenda forward because you are just constantly fueled with new ideas and different perspectives. So, I think anyone who can make the time to peer-to-peer mentoring, it doesn’t always have to be about, you know, being a really, you know, senior, experienced person in the industry. It can be peer to peer, it can be client and agency side. I think having people from, you know, even if you’re at similar levels, from across different areas, it’s really all about that continuous learning that you mentioned earlier, when getting different perspectives that can feed your learning agenda. 

Karen: I love the point about mentoring. I was on the phone with somebody earlier today. We were just talking about a talk that I’ll be giving in a couple weeks, and one of the things that she wanted to talk to me about was on mentoring. And I was sharing how, you know, there really are formal mentoring programs. For instance, I’m a WIRe mentor—Women In Research—a WIRe mentor, and I have been for a few years, and that’s really kind of a formal mentoring program that goes through the calendar year. And of course, I typically encourage people who want to either become a mentor or be mentored to look into that, come the fall. But then there’s also kind of informal mentoring, and I think that everybody in the industry has two opportunities. One, if you’re a little more seasoned, you can just look to elevate the people around you that might be newer to the industry, and either offer, you know, like, gentle guidance or things that could really help them in their career, proactively, without being asked. You don’t have to formally be asked to mentor somebody. You can just take it upon yourself and gently start to guide somebody because you’re truly interested in lifting them up. If you’re also on the younger side, I’ve had people ask me, you know, like, hey, how do I go about getting a mentor? People truly don’t know that, you know what? You don’t need to go to a formal program, although you can—and I typically suggest the WIRe program in our industry—but you can also just say to somebody, like, “Hey, can I get some advice for you?” And you don’t have to say, “Will you be my mentor?” You can just say, “Can I, like, just call you some time to get some advice because I think you’re really wise, and I think you have, you know, experiences that I could learn from, and I’d love to ask you some questions.” So, you can kind of be proactive and engage with people if you want that sort of advice, too. Anyway, I could speak for a long time about this, but I’m glad you focused on mentorship because I think it’s something that we all can play a role in. 

Katie: Yeah, absolutely.

Karen: Do you now—I’m going to ask and put you on the spot, just like I said I wouldn’t do—but do you have any kind of mentors that have guided you throughout the years, people that you look to and you’re like, you know what, I really learned a lot from this individual? For example, this would be a great time to shout them out if you have one. If not, just say, “Karen, move on.” [laugh].

Katie: Yeah. Quite a few people. I think, as far as that informal mentorship, I’ve been close with Bianca Pryor for years—who’s now at Nvidia, which is just amazing—and she’s always been exactly that person who I could just kind of call for anything, and get some just really sound and—some of the soundest advice I think I’ve ever had in my life—to kind of push me, encourage me in the industry. And then I guess I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it here in this time. Alex Hunt was actually my first boss, and I think he was a brilliant mentor very early in my career, and did exactly that. Did a lot of that, kind of, celebrating without me having to ask, and I think that really started me off on the right foot, and almost certainly one of the reasons that I’ve sort of followed him back [laugh] to Behaviorally. 

Karen: I love that sort of full circle story. You know, again, in the spirit of mentoring, like, you never know with this industry, like, who’s going to stay in your life for a long time in another way, shape, or form. So, these relationships we build, they really matter, right? So, I’m glad you shared. So, I have another question for you, kind of going back to the Future List, after our little mentoring segue. What is your take just on the Future List? So, you know, I am very biased. I could talk about it till the cows come home because I really, you know, I love it conceptually, and I love what it does for people, and I love seeing the talent that’s out there. But talk to me about what you perceive it as, you know, how important it is, what do you think it kind of does for the industry and for the individuals and for others?

Katie: I think in principle, the notion of visibility is just so important, and I think you need to see and be seen to, you know, really grow and accomplish anything in your life. It’s not just purely within your career, but more broadly. And I think seeing that happen for sort of rising stars and new people in our industry is so important, and will have a sustaining impact. I think recognizing people from early on in their careers and encouraging them to think creatively, embrace innovation, figure out where they can have an impact, those are things that, if you learn those at the very start, and you start to build that muscle, that’s going to carry you all the way through your career and impact everyone you work with. And it’s not just about who’s on that list. It’s about who sees that list, both, of course, from a recognition standpoint for those people who are on the list that absolutely deserve to be celebrated, but from the people who may not be on the list, possibly because they just didn’t know about it, or no one nominated them, but who are equally as brilliant, and if they can see aspects of themselves in the people on that list, that also, I hope, would encourage them to, you know, embrace their own creativity and maybe put their hand up to be nominated next year as well.

Karen: I love that so much. And you know what I think is interesting about it, and I feel like it might be worth saying, it is wonderful to get the accolades, but there are many people that deserve them out there, and weren’t nominated for one reason or another. So, I love that you brought that up, and if you are one of those people in the industry, give yourself a pat on the back, too, because there are a lot of people doing amazing things that don’t know about this effort. So, we’ll do our part to keep getting it out there, and we can do that, you know, with the help of our sponsors, too, to kind of just keep communicating that this exists and that we’re doing this work. But I don’t want anyone to be discouraged. I want everyone to be kind of inspired, and—

Katie: Yeah, I think it’s the inspiring, and going, you know, “I’m doing that, too, and people care about that.”

Karen: Yeah, exactly, exactly.

Katie: See, give yourself a pat on the back, like you said, if you go, “I did that, too, in my organization.” So, go tell someone about it [laugh]. 

Karen: Yeah. Yeah. Katie, I also want to go back to because I keep thinking of this phrase, “See and be seen,” and I really want to dig into that a little bit more, like, tell me more about that.

Katie: Yeah. Well, you mentioned mentoring at the WIRe, and I think that’s—I’m—something I do not do currently, but have done in the past, and I think I’ve been involved in that organization because I think for women in particular, we need to see and be seen. And I think we’ve learned a lot, you know, as a society, about the importance of visibility. And if you can’t see yourself in the room, if you can’t see, not just who you are and what you look like, but your skills, your ability, your thinking, that needs to be shared and recognized. If you don’t see that, then it’s very hard to kind of step up and feel comfortable in those spaces, and so I think this is a way to recognize attributes that we think are important in people, and we hope that more people can embrace within themselves and continue to drive our industry forward, in the same way that I think promoting women and leadership in the industry is really important for those spaces, too.

Karen: So, important. I really, I couldn’t agree more with what you just said. You know, when we talk about—you and I both said this now—like, kind of driving the industry forward, we are all about the future of insights at Greenbook, right? That’s right in our tagline, and we do take seriously our mission to, you know, kind of usher people into it, [laugh] you know? And we want it to be a positive future, right? We would like for the industry to evolve into an insights industry that is, you know, is one that is loaded with all the good stuff, right? So, tell me how you think, kind of, supporting an initiative like the Future List kind of fits that mission of ours?

Katie: Yeah, I think something that I’ve liked about Greenbook is that you seem fairly balanced and—not just to flatter you—in the promotion of both technology and talent in our industry. And I think that the Future List also really embodies that. I think those aspects around creativity, innovation, which maybe gear more towards technology and that sort of thing, there’s also things around your strategic impact and your ways of thinking that is about the talent, and ultimately, kind of, driving growth in our industry through both the people and the brilliant technology that those people can create and use is really exciting and really important.

Karen: Yeah. I will certainly take that compliment, and I don’t know that I’ve ever heard that articulated, so I’m grateful because it’s true, right? Without the human beings that have the skills, and the abilities, and the mindsets, and the ambition, and the drive, and the vision, without those people, then all the research technology in the world doesn’t even matter, right? That the people who will pull the power from the platforms that they use or from the, you know, the tools and methodologies that they have at their discretion, it’s really them, right? It’s a future of individuals. So, I love that perspective. Thank you so much. So, what would advice be that you have for, you know, other organizations in this space?

Katie: Yeah, I think, you know, look for ways that you can make an impact here, and you know, ask yourself, what are you doing to, you know, nurture the next generation, rising stars, whatever language you like to use, but to nurture talent, both today and coming into the industry, and think about ways that you can do that. I think we talked a lot about mentorship. I think that’s a very approachable way that every, I think, organization, every individual, can easily get involved. And doing that is helping promote the growth of our industry. We don’t always think of it that way, but if you are helping another person learn and grow, and if you’re in a position as an organization to do that sort of at scale and in a broader structured way, all the better. So, I think about, yeah, what are you doing to nurture talent in your organizations and in the industry more broadly?

Karen: I feel like I want to take that question, [laugh] like, put it out there and be like, so what are you doing out there, like, to help move us along [laugh]? Because there are so many that are doing so much, and then there’s this other part of me that’s like, yeah, you know what, we’ve been talking about, reflection, and how it’s good to kind of have those, you know, kind of reflective moments where you’re taking a look at your career, and what were the milestones and who might have been influential? Like, we can do that in a conversation, but some of the soul-searching has to happen at a company level, right? Like, what has your organization been doing to move the rest of the industry forward? Or are you just here to take, and to learn, and to grow? Maybe they’re not at the place where they can give, yet, you know, just, like, people are that way. People are often like, you know, in the hungry phase, and they can’t really give back yet, and I think you have to know where you are. Say, like, I’m not at the place to give back yet; I’m on a growth curve, and I need to take in a little bit more before I can give back. So, I think it’s cool to think about a company, where are you on that curve? Are you in a place to give back? And if you are, what are you doing? So good, like, company introspective. Just another thing for CEOs to do, right [laugh]? More on their plates [laugh]. So, all right, well, I have another question for you, then. One of the things that we talk about is—you and I talked about before we started here—is the idea of this particular sponsorship. There’s lots of ways that our industry partners, you know, work with us and work with some of the other companies and other media organizations and other associations by sponsoring. They can have an exhibit, or they can sponsor the happy hour, or maybe they host a party at one of our events, or, you know, maybe they purchase a webinar or something like that. Like, there are lots of sponsorship opportunities, ways for companies to get their name out there, raise some awareness, et cetera, et cetera. But this is a very unique sponsorship. So, what do you think it is about this one, about this unique sponsorship that really spoke to Behaviorally, and some of the interests of the organization? And what you know about it, and what you know about Alex, et cetera, et cetera [laugh].

Katie: Yeah. So, I guess, briefly, from a Behaviorally perspective, I think it’s that talent cultivation, and growth of individuals, and making sure that people within the organization see themselves as a part of this broader industry, and are thinking about how they can, you know, innovate for their clients that they’re working with every day, how they can push the broader innovation agenda at Behaviorally to improve the tooling and capabilities that we have, and then kind of, you know, as you kind of, waves out, have that broader impact on the industry. Sort of something I was reflecting on this from a sort of more personal perspective and just research in general, in essence, this is brand building, and I find it very funny, in an industry where I would guess, I don’t know, 50% of the work that we all do is brand building and helping our clients who have big brands, build those brands, and we would never question them [laugh] in why are they sponsoring the Olympics? I don’t know, Coca-Cola. I’m pretty sure it’s paying off. We would never question them on that. And to me, I think, you know, from a more kind of commercial perspective, as a research company or agency, this is a huge opportunity to enhance your brand perception, to be visible, to be seen in a kind of soft power way as, you know, having the thinking, having the connections, having the, you know, valuing talent in our industry, those are the type of brands that brilliant people want to work for, new talent wants to come in and be with, and those are the type of brands that brands want to work with because you’re, sort of, sharing that connection of belief and brand building, which sort of is why the industry is here at the end of the day. So, I think it’s a brilliant brand-building opportunity, and I know sometimes one that researchers—I think in research companies, are often notoriously the worst at doing our own research [laugh] on ourselves.

Karen: So, true [laugh]. That comes up more than I care to admit how often that comes up that they’re like, oh, you know, we’re not great at doing research. And I’m like, of course because you’re a research company. That makes sense [laugh]. But I love the idea of soft power, also. I feel like you’re just giving me all sorts of things that I’m going to noodle on for quite a while when we get out of this conversation. But tell me more about soft power.

Katie: I think it’s important to be a part of the bigger organizations, the MRS, SMR, and you know, most companies kind of play their role in that, and that’s an important kind of structured hard power. I guess [laugh], the opposite of soft power is hard power. But influence is so important. And the things that we read every day that we find interesting really do influence our decision-making. So, you know, a podcast like this one, or like Behaviorally has done, that’s in your ear all the time, and if you start to associate that brand with great thinking, you’re having power over people’s decision-making. So, that’s really what I mean by soft power. 

Karen: Well, you are certainly with a company that really does do some amazing things with these types of opportunities, and also just with the thought leadership that they put out there, and you know, all of the partnerships that we find ourselves in with Behaviorally. I’m so excited that Behaviorally, just at North America, will be chairing our Future List Honoree track, and moderating a panel with some of the Future List CEOs. So, your presence at North America, we are so grateful for, also. Super excited about that. But let’s just kind of fast forward. What else is on the horizon, do you see, in 2025 for you, for Behaviorally, for the industry? Like, what else is out there, in your vision?

Katie: Yeah exciting times [laugh]. So, I think I’ve worked a lot in the last seven, eight years, however many it is now, in the space of agile research solutions. I think that’s going to continue to be a thing. Faster, cheaper and better will be a mantra for everyone, not just the sort of agile research platforms that we’ve all started to associate those with. I think more and more companies like Behaviorally are going to be embracing, you know, agile, faster solutions, and in addition to that, predictive solutions, so being able to, you know, use existing data and look forward, not backward. I think we’ve talked about predictive analytics has been a topic and a kind of Holy Grail aim of our industry for years, mostly, as long as I’ve been in it, and I think that’s just going to become more and more important. We need to be able to anticipate consumer behavior, not just react to it. So yeah, I think that combination of agility and predictiveness are going to continue to be really important topics for us to do well at.

Karen: Yeah, I am so aligned with you, and actually have been speaking to some of our upcoming event speakers, talking about topics, and I just keep saying, like, predictive analytics, predictive insights, future-casting, trend spotting, scenario testing, like, we are in an era where we really need to understand what’s coming. And that’s probably impacted because we’re in such disruptive change right now with AI kind of having its place in all of our lives in a way that it never has been in recent years, for sure. So, having that crystal ball would really be nice right about now, huh [laugh]?

Katie: [laugh]. It would, yes.

Karen: Very cool, very cool. All right, so you know this is the portion of the program where I say we’ve been talking 40 minutes, and that’s what I said we would do, and I’m sitting here thinking, like, gosh, Katie, what do you wish I had gotten to that I hadn’t gotten to, or that you wish I had asked that I didn’t ask?

Katie: Just, yeah, I guess I’m—this conversation has been really great to reflect, as we’ve said, so I guess if I could just think of any kind of further advice I could share to emerging professionals in the industry—and I think we’ve hit on a lot of it—I think it’s starting with that curious mindset that so many people enter the industry, embrace the technology that’s around you. It genuinely is people and technology that is going to be the kind of ultimate combination, so embrace it and learn to work with it well. And then, yeah, as we said, you know, seek out mentorship among your peers, connect with other people around you. That’s where really brilliant ideas come. And it’s a generally really, really supportive industry. I think we can all get a little bit stuck in our own worlds, and feel like, oh, this is challenging, and everybody else is doing so great, and I’m not sure what I’m doing. Ask because somebody definitely wants to help you out.

Karen: Yeah, yeah. I love that. It’s true. It’s true. We are—I think of us as an extraordinary industry of people that truly care about the success and well-being of one another. So, I’m with you a hundred percent on that. Katie, how can people find you, reach out to you once they—this episode, again, will be going live in April. How can they reach out to you and find you?

Katie: Ah, the usual places: LinkedIn, obviously, and very soon I’m in Behaviorally communications. And yeah, reach out anywhere you’ll find me.

Karen: That’s so great. That’s so great. I do want to leave everybody with one more quote before we sign off. Robbi Shamlian—she’s with C Space—one of the things that she said in her application, which just seems to summarize everything we’ve been talking about, Katie, “What has inspired my success? Mentorship, paying it forward, and never losing sight of the bigger picture. The best insights come when we listen: to data, to people, and the world around us.” Like, if that’s not a sound bite on an application, I don’t know what is. So, congratulations to all of the honorees. Congratulations to you, Katie, on your new position. Thank you to you, and to Behaviorally for your partnership on this initiative. And to everybody listening, I’m so grateful that you tune in. I just appreciate your presence more than you know. Thank you for listening, too. Big Bad Audio, for making Katie and I sound better in this episode than we sounded live to the audience. We can’t do what we do without Big Bad Audio, so we are very grateful. So, thank you, of course, once again to our listeners, and we’ll see you next time on the Greenbook Podcast. Bye-bye.