From Impact Player to Insight Leader: A practical playbook for developing and sponsoring market research talent

This is an evolution of case study shared at the 2025 Insights Association CRC and a firsthand example of putting a “playbook” into practice.

An updated leadership case study and a practical talent development guide that is especially relevant for organizations looking to retain and grow early-career insights talent, build stronger insights teams, and create clearer pathways from analyst-level contribution to senior manager-level impact.

What to Expect:
• How to move beyond informal mentorship and create a structured development path for emerging market research talent.
• Understand how to identify the skills and behaviors that signal readiness for greater responsibility.
• See how stretch assignments, cross-functional exposure, and stakeholder / client feedback can be used to build and validate promotion readiness.
• Gain a repeatable framework that can be adapted by managers, team leaders, and individual contributors across industries.
• Explore how leaders can shift from coaching talent to actively sponsoring talent when the evidence shows they are ready.