GreenBook Future List Spotlight: Maya Kantak

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

I’ve been immersed in MRX since I could walk! Growing up with an entrepreneurial mother with her own insights agency, as just a kid I worked my way up from stuffing dollar bills into mail-in surveys to running crosstabs. Being a second-generation researcher definitely had its perks, but it’s something I’ve only recently begun to ‘own’ for fear that people would associate my early success with circumstances out of my control. Now, however, I willingly and humbly embrace this invisible hand in my story, as it plays a huge role in my path today. Since accepting this into my narrative, I’m constantly reminded of how unique everyone’s path to MRX is in the insights community and inspired to support those just beginning their insights journeys as my mother had done with me.

 

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

Throughout my career I’ve worked for a variety of industry leaders and beloved brands, each with their own unique set of challenges and measures of success. However, I’ve found that across categories, dedicating time to connecting with and learning from cross-functional partners and end-clients is one of the most important factors in maximizing one’s potential as a researcher. In the world of increasing automation and DIY research solutions, insights professionals at all levels are now, more than before, going to be called upon to go beyond individual projects and influence the brand more holistically.

With this in mind, having a sense of the operations or understanding of the product design equips you with the knowledge needed to ask the right questions, dig in the right places, and communicate findings that will have the most impact. With these collaborations, you can focus more clearly on the end goal and make your data actionable by consistently influencing decisions that push the brand forward. And at the worst, you’ll learn something new.

 

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

The characteristics I value most in a leader are empathy, advocacy, and vision. While these qualities are important for any leader to be successful, they are especially impactful in a leader in the MRX space who often serves as the conduit between companies and the consumer voice. The symbiotic relationship between these qualities ultimately allows a leader to effectively understand, visualize, and take action on the unique needs of their respective audiences–whether that audience is their team, the consumer, or both.

Such a leader also has the capacity to share their influence and provide the right tools to empower each team member to ensure the consumers’ voices are being heard, and that design and operation decisions are made with the consumer in mind. As the insights industry continues to grow, we’ll increasingly need these genuine leaders with strong voices in the present and a clear vision of the future.

 

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

Consumer attitudes and perceptions have now been changed forever. In the post-pandemic landscape, brands will need to relearn, re-understand, and reconnect with their consumers.

From an insights perspective, researchers who are up to the challenge will lean into data synthesis to work toward gathering a truly holistic understanding of the ‘new’ consumer. Leveraging disparate data sources will no longer be a ‘nice to have’; and in the next decade, I see successful brands investing in collaborative, interdisciplinary insights teams that understand this. I think breaking down these silos can also potentially open the door to filling other MRX gaps by fostering greater diversity and inclusion, establishing a seat at the table for insights, and moving away from *just* traditional approaches. Ultimately allowing us in the next decade to more genuinely focus on what matters to real people.

 

What challenges do you see facing newer MRX professionals as technology advances?

2020 has been a challenging year, and now more than ever, companies are turning to DIY and automated research solutions as a way to produce quicker insights in the midst of accelerated change and reduced budgets. While these technological advances have lowered the barriers for doing research in-house, the challenge for newer insights professionals will be actively developing their MRX foundations in a landscape where plug-and-play research tools are the norm.

While acceptance of these technologies can bridge a pathway to utilizing advanced methodologies, I believe the only way to truly unlock the potential of these solutions is through building a strong theoretical foundation; without it, one may unknowingly run into limitations that could skew a studies’ findings. I encourage new insights professionals to stay mindful of this if they want to continue being relevant and competitive as they grow in their careers.