We live in an age of AI, evolving consumer behavior, changing consumer preferences, shifting trends, lightning-fast markets, and complex economies. Staying informed and up-to-date is no longer optional–staying abreast, leading, and shaping instead of following and copying is essential.
Especially if you are in market research, business research, or are a change-maker, the times have changed, and the world has evolved; it’s no longer about reading reports. It’s about learning from the best minds that are creating the waves and shaping the industry.
This guide brings together the top 20 market research thought leaders to follow in 2025, handpicked from both global as well as indian markets. From a wide mix of platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter/X, YouTube, Newsletters, and Podcasts.
Whether you are a market researcher, brand strategist, CMO, or entrepreneur, these thought leaders will help you see what’s next and help you prepare for the future.
Table of Contents
Global Market Research Leaders
1: Byron Sharp – Ehrenberg‑Bass Institute
A business theorist and marketing professor, and director of the Ehrenberg‑Bass Institute, Byron Sharp has revolutionized marketing with data-driven insights on brand growth and strategy. He advocates for evidence-based strategies and data-driven ideas and debunks common myths.
He is also the author of “How Brands Grow” and “Marketing: Theory, Evidence, Practice”.
2: Ray Poynter – NewMR
A lifelong educator and founder of NewMR, and the chief research officer of Potentiate. Ray has been at the forefront of the evolution of digital research. He has been emphasizing emerging research methods and trying to make research more collaborative.
Ray has also been the president of ESOMAR, and is an avid ultra runner.
3: Kristin Luck – Growgetter / ScaleHouse
Kristin is a serial entrepreneur, a pioneer in ResTech, and an Investment Banker at Oberon Securities. Kristin served as the president of ESOMAR in the past and is currently a Co-Founder of Growgetter, a growth marketing firm. She also serves as an advisor and growth strategist to various businesses and companies. She regularly contributes to both commercial magazines as well as academic presses.
Kristin started WIRe (Women In Research) to arm women in data, insights, and research roles with the necessary tools to develop professionally, connect and network with others, and stay inspired.
4: Annie Pettit – Data Ethics & Survey Design
Annie Pettit is a research advisor at AP Consulting and a committee member at SSC (Standards Council of Canada). She specializes in data quality, research ethics, innovative methods, and participant engagement.
Annie is well known in the Market Research industry as someone who demystifies survey design and promotes transparency in research.
She is the author of multiple books on Questionnaire Design, becoming a Thought Leader, and becoming an Engaging and Fearless Public Speaker.
5: Leonard/Lenny Murphy – GreenBook / ResTech
Lenny is a leading voice in the ResTech industry. Currently serving as a Chief Advisor for Insights and Development at GreenBook. CEO of several companies, including Rockhopper Research, a full-service agency. BrandScan 360 is a tech start-up. He consults entrepreneurs, investors, and advisors on everything from product development, strategy, to fundraising around the world.
6: Tom Ewing – Behavioral Science in Branding
Tom is a former Head of Marketing and Market Intelligence at System1 Research (formerly BrainJuicer) and the current boss at Wordbeast. He is a brand builder and content writer at heart. Storytelling, politics, nerd culture, and social media are some of his favorite topics to talk about.
Tom has also co-authored a book, “System1 – Unlocking Profitable Growth,” along with John Kearon and Orlando Wood.
7: Peter Winick – Thought Leadership Leverage
Peter is the one who has deep expertise in helping those with deep expertise. As a founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Leverage, he has helped entrepreneurs and businesses build and grow revenue streams through thought leadership platforms.
8: Greg Kihlstrom – The Agile Brand
He is the co-founder and Board Member at OnHue and the man behind the infamous “The Agile Brand” podcast. His work spans CX, brand transformation, and MarTech. He is also a contributing writer at CMSWire, writing on digital transformation, customer experience, and meaningful measurement.
Greg has authored multiple books.
9: Vladimer Botsvadze – Digital Transformation and Social Media Thought Leader
Vladimer is ranked the No.1 Global Marketing, Retail, and Social Media Thought Leader by Thinker360. He has more than 15 years of experience with a track record of guiding the biggest brands and top executives across the globe to drive growth and position them as market leaders in their respective industries.
10: Simon Sinek – Inspiring Marketers Globally
Probably the most well-known name in this list. The name needs no introduction. Famous for his “Start with Why” framework. Simon inspires leaders across the world to build great companies and purpose-driven brands. He is a leading voice and has been influencing how companies and teams align vision with consumer values.
If voices like Simon Sinek inspire you, check out our handpicked collection of leadership quotes to fuel your thinking and leadership journey.
Top India-Based Market Research Thought Leaders
11: Satish Swaminathan – Pivotal Research
Founder/CEO and Market Research Lead at Pivotal Research, Satish blends traditional research acumen with startup agility, helping small—and medium-sized local and global businesses build insight-driven strategies across India’s fast-changing consumer landscape and globally evolving markets and economies.
12: Prakash Sharma – 1001 Stories / Behavioral Science
Prakash is a big believer in using behavioral science and context architecture to create better brands and products. He co-founded 1001 Stories, an independent consultancy firm specializing in delivering consumer insights and behaviour science-based solutions. Prakash primarily focuses on context architecture, primary research, insight mining, and behavioral science to help create sharper brands.
Prakash is disrupting qualitative research in India by bringing in behavioral science and cultural storytelling into every insight.
13: Praveen Nijhara – Hansa Research
Praveen is one of the most well-known and widely recognized names in the field of customer experience and market research in India and the UAE. He is currently heading Hansa Research Group as its Chief Executive Officer. He has 3 decades of experience in providing strategic consulting to some of the biggest companies in India and abroad across sectors and industries.
A frequent speaker, guest columnist, jury member, and secretary at the Market Research Society of India (MRSI).
14: Sivaraman Swaminathan – Hansa Cequity
Co-founder and Ex-CEO of Hansa Cequity. Currently running ContraMinds and the ContraMinds Podcast. A veteran in CRM, loyalty marketing, and data-led brand transformation in India’s consumer-first market.
15: Nidhi Rustagi – Kantar
Former Business Consultant at Fractal Analytics and Associate Research Director at Ipsos. Nidhi is currently serving as the Head of Kantar Marketplace, APAC. Nidhi combines classic Market Research with cutting-edge metrics and KPI to drive growth and deliver commercial and client success.
Nidhi is known for developing different propositions for brand growth and innovation and leveraging behavioral science and agile methodologies to help businesses worldwide innovate faster, better, and systematically.
16: Rama Bijapurkar – Consumer Behavior
Rama Bijapurkar is one of the most sought-after business advisors and a passionate “People” researcher.
She worked with McKinsey, Nielsen India, and TNS. Now, she sits on the boards of some of the biggest companies in India, including Cummins, Apollo Hospitals, Gokaldas Exports, Sun Pharma, etc.
Rama has also authored multiple widely acclaimed books on the Indian market and consumers.
17: Ritu Mehrotra – Data-Centric Leadership
Ritu has led insights and strategy functions at Booking.com. A very strong voice in data-centric leadership. She was the VP of Global Growth at Zomato. She is currently serving as the Founder and CEO of United We Care, a generative AI mental health company, based in Menlo Park.
18: Deepa Bhatia – Consumer Data Insights/ YouGov India
Deepa Bhatia is currently leading YouGov India as a general manager. Deepa has led innovative online research initiatives that tap into panel data and digital-first insights. She uses and leads real-time consumer data insights to make informed business and marketing strategies.
19: Ashwin Mittal – C5i
Founder, ex-CEO, and now the executive chairman of Course5 Intelligence, now C5i.
Ashwin is in charge of integrating AI and analytics into mainstream market research. He and his firm, C5i, are a leading voice in the Analytics and Insights industry.
20: Manasi Narasimhan – Marketing and Communications
Ex-marketing leader at Mastercard India, and now heading Communications and Strategic Partnerships at Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS). Manasi has been instrumental in driving insights-led brand campaigns with a core focus on financial inclusion.
How to Engage With Market Research Thought Leaders?
Engaging with thought leaders in any industry or market or on any platform goes beyond simply following them.
In order to really engage with them and learn from these voices, you really need to:
- Intentionally commenting and engaging with their posts and content. This will help you build visibility and connection.
- Sharing their insights and ideas within your network. Adding your personal take or summary to spark conversations.
- Inviting them by tagging them in relevant discussions to invite their insights, take, and inputs, or highlighting their work.
- Joining live sessions (Webinars, LinkedIn Lives, or AMAs) and contributing ideas and questions.
- Most thought leaders publish across multiple platforms and channels. Maximize your exposure by subscribing to their newsletters, turning on post notifications, following their podcasts and subscribing to their shows, watching their interviews, keynotes, etc.
How to Discover More Market Research Thought Leaders?
Finding established market research thought leaders or discovering the emerging ones requires:
- Following research awards and recognitions, these often spotlight the most impactful work and impact creators.
- Using platforms like Impulze.ai to find the trending ones and the ones that are getting cited in industry content.
- Tracking annual lists like Thinkers360, Thinkers50, SG Analytics’ Top Influencers, and Influencer Marketing Hub reports.)
- Browsing LinkedIn hashtags like #ResTech, #MarTech, #ConsumerInsights, #MarketResearch, #BusinessInsights, etc, to discover the rising voices as well as the influential market research thinkers.
- Join communities, attend summits, and subscribe to relevant newsletters.
Also, engage with peer recommendations and industry event takeaways to expand your discovery pool and widen your network. Satish Swaminathan publishes a weekly newsletter called “Pivot Points” on Substack, covering business, technology, geopolitics, and markets.
Conclusion
Staying ahead in the market research means staying connected with the right voices, with the right tools, and with the most insightful conversations. Whether you are looking to refine your research strategies or reimagine consumer journeys, these market research thought leaders and experts will sharpen your thinking, expand your perspective, and empower you to anticipate change before it happens.
Discover them. Follow them. Engage with them. Learn from them. Then make sound decisions and lead with confidence.
