Pettit was nominated and won for her bravery in calling out the marketing research conference industry for not creating gender parity among their speakers. By publically naming conferences for offering programs lacking in gender parity, awareness of the issue has increased and some organizers have subsequently enriched their speaker recruitment efforts. In a blog post listing more than 50 research conferences in 2016, Pettit names 31 (62%) that offered programs where fewer than 40% of speakers were women, including 11 (22%) where fewer than 30% of speakers were women. Pettit’s dedication to diversity led her to found the New Research Speakers Club: a club originally intended to give her colleagues a place to cultivate their speaking skills, but instead grew into a 14+ city endeavor to help grow the available pool of skilled and knowledgeable speakers in the global research and data industry.

Melanie Courtright, EVP, Global Products & Client Services, Research Now, said “It’s wonderful to see that Annie’s dedication to promoting inclusivity and diversity in the market research industry has been acknowledged by her colleagues. Change can be difficult, but as more and more people realize that diversity is important for improving personal growth, employee satisfaction, and client service, it will get easier and ultimately strengthen the market research industry.”

“I’m thrilled that Annie has won this award,” added Noman Ali, CEO, Peanut Labs. “She constantly challenges her colleagues, friends, and even strangers online to submit their first conference proposal. With her speakers club about to launch, conference organizers will find it easier to offer gender parity.”

Pettit has been an active member of the market research industry for more than fifteen years, serving on numerous ethics and standards committees. She is regularly invited to speak at conferences and provide opinion pieces. Pettit is a winner of the MRIA Award of Outstanding Merit, the ESOMAR Excellence Award for the Best Paper, the ESOMAR Best Methodological Paper Award, and the David K. Hardin Award. Pettit was recently honored as a Fellow of the MRIA, the association’s highest award.

About Research Now
Research Now Group, Inc., is the global leader in digital data collection to power analytics and insights. It enables data-driven decision making for its 3,500 market research, consulting, media, and corporate clients through its permission-based access to millions of deeply-profiled consumers using online, mobile, social media, and behavioral data collection technology platforms. The company operates in more than 35 countries, from 21 offices around the globe, and is recognized as the quality, scale, and customer satisfaction leader in its industry.

About Peanut Labs
Peanut Labs is an innovator in online market research, monetization, and advertising. We understand the science behind connecting people and delivering industry leading results. We match online consumers who are interested in voicing their opinions, trying products, and discovering new websites with companies seeking insights, engagement, and new customers. And, we do it all in a way that is fun, relevant, and, most importantly, rewarding for everyone. Since 2007, we’ve served millions of online consumers, worked with thousands of researchers, advertisers, and online communities of every size.

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