Data Gurus Podcast | Insights on Business Strategy, Mergers and Acquisitions, Market Research & Data Collection
Welcome to the the Data Gurus Podcast! The world around us is changing faster than ever before. From automation, artificial intelligence, big data, geo-location to every aspect of how we work and live. This includes DATA. Welcome to Data Gurus Podcast… our mission is to bring you a real life perspective on what’s happening in the data industry and how successful companies and individuals in this niche navigate through the sea of change. Encouraging you to Be Bold, Be Brave and Be Fearless – Let’s navigate the Data Ecosystem together.
Episodes
Dr. Olivier Toubia, Glaubinger Professor of Business at Columbia Business School, joins Sima Vasa to discuss his landmark study building digital twins from over 2,000 real participants — and what the results reveal about the genuine limits of synthetic data in market research.
Olivier explains why digital twins skew hyper-rational, why a 0.2 correlation with real human behavior is the honest benchmark, and why the “better, fa...
Dr. Poornima Luthra, Author, Educator and Keynote Speaker, joins Sima Vasa to make the evidence-based case that DEI backlash is rooted in fear, not fact, and that most organizations have never done the systemic work required to make inclusion stick. Poornima draws on two years of primary research — interviews, discourse analysis and emotion coding — to identify five core fears driving resistance and explains why reframing DEI as un...
Thor Olof Philogène, Founder and CEO of Stravito, joins Sima Vasa to discuss knowledge discovery at scale and how AI-powered insights intelligence can turn fragmented enterprise research into a competitive asset.
Thor also covers Stravito’s AI + human expertise model, the launch of AI personas that simulate consumer perspectives from real segmentation data, and why insights professionals are uniquely positioned for the curre...
On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Jason Cohen, Founder and CEO of Simulacra Synthetic Data Studio, about the limits of traditional research, the evolution of synthetic data, and why causal modeling matters more than larger sample sizes. Drawing on his experience building and exiting Gastrograph AI, Jason explains how real-world data gaps undermine decision-making and how synthetic data can support scenario-based predictions...
On this episode, David Wellisch, Co-Founder and CEO of Collage Group, talks to Sima Vasa about cultural intelligence as a measurable driver of brand relevance, growth and purchase intent. David shares his path from AOL and private equity to founding Collage Group. He explains how understanding consumer values, linking insight to activation and leveraging proprietary data and AI helps brands drive meaningful business outcomes.
Key ...
Host Sima Vasa welcomes Carol Sue Haney, Head of Research and Data Science, Engineering at Qualtrics, to discuss the transformative role of AI and data science in the market research industry.
Carol Sue explains Qualtrics’ early bet on generative AI and the development of proprietary LLMs, moving into agentic work and synthetic sampling, which she predicts will rival non-probability human sampling for quick-turn resear...
Host Sima Vasa talks to Casper Henningsen, CEO and Co-Founder of GetWhy, about reimagining insights through technology, empathy and human connection. Casper shares his unconventional journey from professional sports to entrepreneurship, highlighting how patience, curiosity and deep understanding of human behavior have shaped his company’s mission to make insights more actionable and creative for modern businesses.
Key Takeaways:
0...
On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Tim Wragg, CEO of Human8, who shares insights on leadership, AI’s role in research, and maintaining human connection in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Tim discusses how trust, empathy and timing remain vital in an industry defined by data abundance and technological transformation.
Key Takeaways:
00:00 Introduction.
02:54 Behavioral science background shaped leadership in insights.
05:...
Sima Vasa speaks with Megan Peitz, Founder and Owner of Numerious. Megan shares her journey from math and statistics at Georgetown to building a powerhouse analytics consultancy, partnering directly with global product teams and empowering more leaders to make data-driven decisions. The episode covers Megan’s approach to advanced analytics, the foundations of Numerious, client partnership strategies and Megan’s commitment to trans...
On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Elizabeth Finn, President and CEO of The Directions Group. Elizabeth shares her journey from market research beginnings to leading a respected insights firm. She explains how she is guiding the company with an AI-first mindset, integrated intelligence framework and client-centric leadership. Elizabeth offers candid reflections on building strategy without a playbook, empowering teams and br...
On this episode, host Sima Vasa leads a candid panel discussion on the state of data quality with four industry leaders: Dyna Boen, EVP/Managing Director of Escalent; Jon Kay, Principal Market Research Manager of Intuit; Bob Fawson, Co-Founder of Data Quality Co-Op; and Steven Snell, EVP, Head of Research of Rep Data. Together, they explore the growing challenges of fraud, trust and integrity in research, and the solutions needed ...
On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to David Allison, Founder of The Valuegraphics Research Company, about replacing ineffective demographic targeting with values-based segmentation. Drawing on over one million surveys across 180 countries, David explains why demographics have a 90% fail rate and how identifying what truly matters to people can increase effectiveness eightfold.
Key Takeaways:
00:00 Introduction
05:03 The human br...
On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Michael Ramlet, Co-Founder and CEO of Morning Consult. Michael shares how Morning Consult has scaled from a startup with a newsletter to a global leader in delivering real-time consumer insights used by central banks, hedge funds and Fortune 500 companies. He explains why owning the supply chain for data collection is critical to quality, how the industry must embrace cultural change, and t...
On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks with J. Walker Smith, Knowledge Lead at Kantar. They discuss shifting consumer sentiments, the paradox of strong spending amid uncertainty and changes in market insights.
Key Takeaways:
(02:14) Experience in trends and futures at Kantar aids in predicting consumer values.
(04:37) Consumer spending is strong, but sentiment is recessionary amid uncertainty.
(07:57) Consumers seek familiarity an...
On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Ania Rodriguez, CEO and Founder of JourneyTrack and Chairwoman of the Board at Key Lime Interactive. Ania shares her founder journey from launching a UX consulting firm to building a venture-backed SaaS company in the emerging category of journey management. With a clear-eyed view of the differences between UX and CX, she explains how aligning with executive-level metrics creates staying po...
On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Greg Silverman, Global Director of Brand Economics at Interbrand. Greg shares how Interbrand quantifies the financial impact of brand and aligns marketing insights with shareholder value. Drawing from decades of brand valuation work, he explains how research, including discrete choice modeling, bridges the language gap between CMOs and CFOs. He also discusses the power of fast, data-driven ...
On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Cynthia Harris, Founder, Managing Director and Lead Operator of 8:28 Insights, about building a human-centered insights agency, the value of lived experience in leadership and the role AI can and can’t play in research. Cynthia shares her career path from launching products at Bath & Body Works to working at Procter & Gamble to starting her own firm — offering practical guidance for...
On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Daniel Gaynor, Co-Founder of Kelp and SVP of Strategy at Signal AI, about how reputation is becoming a quantifiable, strategic asset — and how AI is making that possible. Daniel shares his career journey from public policy to launching Kelp, how Signal AI is building agentic tools for the enterprise and why the next evolution of reputation intelligence will come from collaboration between h...
On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Ian Ash, Co-Founder of Dig Insights, about the intersection of AI and market research, the evolution of Restech, and the importance of balancing technology with human expertise. With over a decade’s experience leading Dig Insights, Ian shares his perspective on how AI reshapes research processes and why human oversight remains critical. He reflects on the parallels between storytelling in c...
On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Steve Phillips, Founder, Chair and Chief Innovation Officer, and Ryan Barry, former President, both of Zappi.
They discuss the evolution of consumer insights, the role of AI in research and how businesses can maximize the value of their data.
Key Takeaways:
(02:05) “The Consumer Insights Revolution” encapsulates a decade of transformation at Zappi.
(03:35) Pepsi’s consumer insights e...
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