IA Forms Inclusion and Diversity Council

US trade body the Insight Association (IA) has formed the IDEA Council, to provide measurement, education and standards to address what it calls the lack of representation in the insights profession and the populations it researches.

The Council's work will be structured around the four pillars spelling out IDEA: inclusion, diversity, equity and access, and IA says that for each there will be initiatives that aim to improve both the profession and its research. Work will include building a lexicon; hosting community discussions; expanding representation of marginalized groups at organizations and events; supporting education and career advancement; and developing pay, organizational diversity and career advancement metrics and benchmarks.

To help ensure representative research and mitigate bias within its insights and analytics work, the council will offer 'cultural competency' and literacy education, and establish sampling and insights best practices, and it will work to build long-term engagement with research participants in underserved populations. IA member companies will be invited to pledge their support for these initiatives.

IA CEO Melanie Courtright notes that companies with greater gender, racial and ethnic diversity, including in their leadership teams, outperform their peers, which she says will mean IDEA efforts will provide 'tangible benefits' to members. IA Board Chair Lisa Courtade, who serves as Executive Director, Global Customer Insights at Merck, adds: 'As we work to amplify the voices of those too long silenced, we must become more inclusive rather than exclusive, encouraging all voices in the insights and data analytics community to be heard'.

Alongside Courtright, members of the new council are:

• Scott Baker, SVP, Client Solutions, Schlesinger Group
• Khary Campbell, Assistant VP, Research & Innovation, L'Oréal
• Jackie Chan, VP, Head of Research & Analytics, Prudential Financial
• Dawn Christian, Senior VP of Inclusion & Diversity, GCI Health
• Sherri Dansby, Market Research Manager, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
• Shannon Danzy, Principal, danzy consults; QRCA
• Carlos Garcia, President, Garcia Research
• Alfred Ishak, Senior Director, Development & Planning, Gongos
• April Jeffries, Global President, Ipsos
• Damon Jones, VP, Telephone Operations, Burke, Inc.
• Heather Magaw, VP, People & Culture, Chadwick Martin Bailey
• Bianca Pryor, VP, BET
• Tchicaya Ellis Robertson, Senior Thought Leadership Principal, Accenture.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.