Your biggest AI risk in 2026 isn’t model collapse. It’s insight teams still acting like report factories in a market that now runs on intelligence infrastructure.In this episode, Ross sits down with Stravito Founder & CEO Thor Olof Philogène to map where the insight function really stands after a year of AI acceleration, failed pilots, and rising expectations. They unpack why AI is no longer “the strategy” but the infrastructure enabling it and why the true competitive edge now lives in the 3 U’s of data: uniqueness, usability, and utilization.Together, they explore how leading organizations are shifting from static knowledge repositories to living intelligence systems, turning years of “research waste” into reusable capital that compounds over time. They dig into the uncomfortable truth about data quality in a democratized world, the widening gap between access and literacy, and why commercial acumen and storytelling have become non-negotiable power skills for insight leaders who want a real say in growth.If you’re ready to operate in the market as it is (not as you remember it), this conversation is your early field guide to 2026.Join The Insighter’s Club and get exclusive industry insights, expert analysis, and cutting-edge trends delivered straight to your inbox.
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Stay Safe or Scale Impact: The Moment of Truth for Modern Insight Teams part 2
Insight teams are facing a dangerous illusion: believing technology alone will elevate their influence while culture quietly erodes it. This is the unfiltered, hard-hitting conversation every insights leader needs to hear right now.In Part 2 of this special live episode of The Insiders Club Podcast, recorded at the Stravito Insights Summit 2025 in Paris, three powerhouse leaders dig into one of the most misunderstood and most business-critical drivers of insight transformation: building a knowledge culture that outperforms any software, platform, or AI tool on the market.Featuring Seema Hope (VP of Insight, The Economist), Leo Moore (Senior Director, Category Strategic Insights & Analytics, Kellanova), and Christopher Rastin (Head of Global Customer Research, E.ON), this conversation exposes what teams get wrong when rolling out knowledge hubs, the art of “democratization” and where it can backfire, and the emerging industry fault line around synthetic data.Together, they unpack the real operating levers that make or break insight excellence in the age of AI: cultural discipline, curation, human judgment, and the courage to challenge hype cycles.In this conversation, we tackle:The hidden cultural blockers that undermine self-service platforms and knowledge hubs.Why dynamic curation (not static libraries) is the new bar for insight democratization.Where GenAI genuinely accelerates workflows and where it’s dangerously unreliable.Why synthetic data could become the industry’s biggest ethical discussion.If you’re committed to future-proofing your insight function, this episode isn’t optional, it’s the tried and tested roadmap.Join The Insighter’s Club and get exclusive industry insights, expert analysis, and cutting-edge trends delivered straight to your inbox.
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Stay Safe or Scale Impact: The Moment of Truth for Modern Insight Teams
Insight teams are at a crossroads: stay safe and stay small or claim a seat at the growth table. This is the operating playbook to move from “report factory” to strategic co-pilot.In this special live episode of The Insiders Club Podcast, recorded at Stravito Insights Summit 2025 in Paris, three trailblazing leaders unpack what it really takes to dismantle silos and hard-wire insights into decision-making: Seema Hope (VP of Insight, The Economist), Leo Moore (Senior Director, Category Strategic Insights & Analytics, Europe at Kellanova) and Christopher Rastin (Head of Global Customer Research, E.ON). Together, they reveal tried and tested decisive levers: KPI alignment, process design, internal PR, and finance fluency, that turn insights from a cost center into a value engine.In this conversation, we tackle:Why silos persist (competing KPIs, turf, trust) and a practical path to break them permanently.Why “delivering data” isn’t enough and how to lead with a conclusion, then prove it fast.The secret to embedding insights early (not post-hoc) without losing ownership or control.How to democratize insights so they scale, without diluting standards or rigor.The underrated power move: becoming best friends with finance to show real ROI.If you’re passionate about multiplying your impact as an insights leader, this episode is a call to action to upgrade your operating system, not just your methods.Join The Insighter’s Club and get exclusive industry insights, expert analysis, and cutting-edge trends delivered straight to your inbox.
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How to Make Insights Go Viral with Candice Walton, Insights Leader at Lloyd’s Banking Group
Your best insight isn’t getting ignored because it’s wrong; most likely, it’s invisible. If your work keeps dying in inboxes, the problem isn’t the data; it’s the delivery.In this episode, we sit down with Candice Walton from Lloyd’s Banking Group to unpack a non-’buzz’, career-defining topic for senior insights leaders: how to engineer impact. Candice breaks down how her team moved from “answer factory” to insight as a reusable asset, built an Insight Newsroom to craft headlines and actions, and used storytelling, format experimentation (newsletters, webinars, video, infographics) and engagement analytics to make insights spread fast.We also cover:Building a measurable engagement funnel for insight (readership, dwell, comments, actions).Why “describe it to a 10 year old” beats jargon for executive attention.Operating a drop-in Insight Newsroom to cut noise and sharpen story.Protecting proactive time so you can respond faster when news or regulation hits.Join The Insighter’s Club and get exclusive industry insights, expert analysis, and cutting-edge trends delivered straight to your inbox.
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The Art of Rediscovery in Consumer Insights with Jake Burghardt, Consultant at Integration Research
You probably don’t need another study. You need to use the ones you already paid for. Every year, good insights get lost in slide decks, folders, and “we’ll come back to this later.”In this episode, Jake Burghardt, former Amazon research leader, now at IntegratingResearch.com shows how to rescue the gold that’s already in your archive. We talk about why teams keep re-asking the same questions, how to turn a 30-page report into a one-page keeper, and simple habits that bring insights into the room when decisions are made. If you lead consumer insights, this is a gentle but firm nudge: less chasing new data, more making your best work usable, visible, and hard to ignore.A quick test for when an “old” insight is still useful and when it’s not.A weekly “rediscovery” habit that surfaces past insights right before planning.Easy ways to show impact (without buying another tool or building a dashboard).Where to plug insights into briefs, roadmaps, and OKRs so they shape decisions.Join The Insighter’s Club and get exclusive industry insights, expert analysis, and cutting-edge trends delivered straight to your inbox.
What does it take to turn insights into better, faster decisions? How is the role of insight professionals evolving in an increasingly complex world? Can a communications mindset help insights teams drive growth and impact?These are just some of the questions shaping the future of the insights industry, and we’re exploring them here on The Insighter’s Club Podcast. Hosted by Ross Dempsey, Director of Insight Engagement Services at Stravito, we dive into the challenges and opportunities ahead with leaders, innovators, and disruptors from across the insights industry. Formerly known as The Consumer Insights Podcast, this next chapter seeks to dig even deeper, exploring bold ideas and fresh strategies to keep you ahead of the curve.Follow us on Apple or Spotify, and subscribe to our Insighter’s Club newsletter for valuable and exclusive insights content from us at Stravito.Whether you’re a longtime listener or new to the show, welcome to The Insighter’s Club!