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History of the Society
The Research Society is the peak body in Australia for everyone engaged or interested in market, social and opinion research, whether you use it or provide it and data analytics, customer experience and insight.
The Research Society Members come from the broad research sector:
Market, social and opinion researchers
CX, UX, design and service research professionals
Data analysts and data experts
Insight professionals
Evaluation specialists
Operations and panel experts
Academics, Graduates and Students
Anyone interested in research
Formerly the Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS), the organisation has been Australia's most trusted research Society since 1955. For 65 years The Research Society has self-regulated its research professionals effectively by members adhering to the Code of Professional Behaviour that aligns with Australian Privacy requirements. The Code is intended to foster public confidence and to demonstrate practitioners' recognition of their ethical and professional responsibilities when carrying out research.
The Research Society has over 2000 individual professional members and 130 partner organisations that include research agencies and end-client organisations that commission research, in commercial and government sectors.
We provide additional organisational discounts and benefits to Partners as well as included individual membership for their employees. Everything offered and undertaken at The Research Society is designed to promote, protect, connect and develop members and partner organisations.
The Research Society supports the research sector with specialist training and professional qualification (QPR), professional membership, company certification (ISO and Fair Data), cutting edge conferences; awards and advice on standards and best practice.
Professional development - Through specialist training (live and on demand), the Qualified Professional Researcher (QPR) accreditation, mentoring. We upskill individuals and organisations within the research sector.
Conferences and Events - Our comprehensive events program includes an annual National Conference, digital conferences, state Conferences, networking opportunities, special interest groups and network events.
Thought leadership - We publish the Research News magazine, the ResearchNewsLive blog and weekly e-newsletter, provide free webinars, as well as providing access to local and global research, whitepapers, journals and archive libraries.
Awards - the Research Society hosts the sector's key Research Awards that include the Research Effectiveness Awards, the Conference Awards, Fellowship and Awards for outstanding individuals and organisations.
The Research Society also provides a host of support services and initiatives to ensure professionals and organisations stay connected, relevant and able to generate business.
Research Company Directory - Used by client researchers and procurement professionals, the online Research Company Directory is the only source of accredited research suppliers in Australia.
Member Directory - used by members and clients, the Member Directory allows individual members to promote their membership and qualifications to clients and the research community.
Fair Data - Fair Data is a recognised data compliance mark that enables consumers to make educated choices about their personal data.
Online communities - we have special interest groups and networks (Independent Research Consultants; Client Networking Group; Young Researchers Network; Recruiters Group; Government & Social Researchers Network) that connect through email Grapevines and online communities.
Research Job Board- the specialist jobs board for the research and insight sector. The Job Board is a free service.
ResearchNewsLive- the definitive daily news site for the sector also featuring in-depth articles and commentary pieces from Research News magazine.
Local and Global Partnerships - the Research Society has strategic partnerships with 45 research associations across the globe to ensure the sector is kept up to date with the latest local and global research, methodologies and trends.
The Research Society consults with business and government leaders to ensure that research stays at the forefront of commercial and political agendas. We work on your behalf to ensure the sector stays relevant and recognised.
The Research Society Code of Professional Behaviour - Adherence to the Research Society Code, as a practitioner or supplier, is a pre-requisite for many key commercial and government tenders.
Surveyline service - We provide an online verification service where everyone can check the validity or bona fides of member research suppliers through our online website or by calling the tollfree Research Society number 1300 364 832.
The changing sector
Our sector is growing and changing. The Research Society represents the research sector and includes 2000 individual Members and 95 leading research Company and Client Partners who employ over 12,000 permanent and casual employees. Our Members and Company Partners conduct research for the majority of Federal and State Government Departments, Local Governments and ASX top 200 companies. Our Client Partners commission research and include ASX top 200 companies as well as government departments and agencies. The Australian research and insights industry generates over $1 billion of economic activity annually, with all levels of Government representing a significant portion of this.
The Research Society partnership also includes tertiary and higher education institutions and it's membership represents academic, graduate and student interests.
President - Tiina Raikko
Vice-President - Simon Edwards
Board Director - Ellen Baron
Board Director - Penny Burke
Board Director - Elyssia Clark
Board Director - Peter Harris
Board Director - Lyndall Spooner
Company Secretary - Angus Hunter - The Society CEO
Tiina Raikko
Read Bio Here.+
Tiina has spent over 27 years with blue chip organisations on both the agency and client side of research. She spent over 10 years in client service, most of that time with Yann Campbell Hoare Wheeler/Millward Brown, working across the government, consumer goods and services sectors. In 2003 she moved to Unilever where she was Director of Consumer Insight and Marketing Operations for Australasia before launching her own consultancy, Fuel, in 2009. Tiina has been a member of The Research Society since 1992, has spent many years on the conference committee - 2017 as co-chair, judged REAs and chaired RICA's Client Advisory Board for 4 years. Tiina joined The Research Society Board in 2017 with the aim to work toward a successful merger with AMSRO. She is also keen to work with the Board to optimise value for members with a particular interest in building client and young researcher engagement with the society.
Simon Edwards
Simon is the Research & Insights Lead for ANZ Bank. In this role, Simon leads the Research practice area for the bank covering areas such as Brand & Communications, Customer experience, Design Research and Market Intelligence. Simon's brief at ANZ has been to lead a holistic research approach that takes into account long established research practices combined with Design Research practices to provide the comprehensive evidence bases required for innovation and transformation. Simon is particular interested in new proposition development and service design. Simon has been working in financial services for 13 years, having lead the Insights Function at the Commonwealth bank and the Insights & Analytics function at Bankwest. Prior to client side roles, Simon has worked for market research companies such as ACNielsen in Media and Evalue working on customer experience programs. Simon first commenced his career in quantitative roles as a statistician. Simon has an MBA from Macquarie University, a Social Science Degree from UNSW and serves on the Board of The Research Society.
Ellen Baron
Board Director
Ellen is the Founding Director and CEO of Ruby Cha Cha (established in 2008) and has built a 30+ year career innovating qualitative research in Australia in both academic and corporate landscapes. She led the way in innovative Qual methodologies, online and offline and introduced and commercialised Ethnography and Semiotics in the 20th Century! Training and development is a passion which she shares by offering training and mentoring through the Research Society and has trained many, many people in great strategic qual over the years. Working across many different forms of research (qual and quant) and across many different verticals from FMCG to B2B, local Government and Healthcare, she has been called on to advise boards, executive committees and CEOs in blue chip corporates and professional entities. She also works with emerging fintechs and biotechs and start-ups providing sage marketing and research advice. Ellen is a member of ESOMAR and has spoken at many international and local conferences on Market Research including Congress in Athens, Istanbul, London, Amsterdam and iiex in Austin, Texas to name a few. She is called on to speak on behalf of clients at such places as Stakeholder Engagement Conferences, Nutritionist Conferences and the ASTRAs. She is currently a member of Women on Boards and is passionate about helping women succeed and close the gap. She has completed courses at AICD (Australian Institute of Company Directors) including a refresher course in 2018. Formerly, she founded the Postgraduate Association of Western Sydney in 1992 and was the student representative on 5 boards at UWS Macarthur.
Penny Burke
Penny has been in the research industry for over 30 years working across a number of roles, commencing as a strategy planner in advertising research, and then creating and building Essence communications for 16 years. Penny has always loved and advocated for the industry and TRS, including attending a huge number of industry events, and co-chairing the 2018 (then, AMSRS) Conference. Penny was also a very active member of the IRG Grapevine with Essence, including contributing solidly to a range of professional development sessions for IRG members that started during COVID lockdowns. On July 1 2021 Essence merged with Whereto Research, and Penny took on the role of Joint Managing Director. Penny is already an experienced Board Member, currently sitting on the Boards of Kennards Hire, a privately owned tool hire company, Australian Communities Foundation, a structured donation foundation, and Dennis Family Homes. This Board experience – together with her long term and close involvement with our industry in a number of guises, from conference co-chair, to independent consultants and now, a deeply accomplished Australian owned agency – means she see lots of opportunities to make a significant contribution to The Research Society, and she is really excited about continuing to make our industry a highly desirable one for the future. Penny is also one of those self-confessed annoying people who likes to do lots of things ONCE. So Penny has run one marathon, bungy jumped once, jumped out of a plane at 10,000 feet once, sung the Hallelujah Chorus at Carols by Candlelight at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl once, and written one book. And so far, has been married just once.
Elyssia Clark
Elyssia has extensive experience in customer experience strategy, human centered design, service design, research (data analytics, quantitative/qualitative techniques) and marketing, coupled with a deep understanding of financial services and technology sectors. An experienced leader, Elyssia is keen to drive organisational change that delivers commercial results and improves the lives of employees and customers. Elyssia has worked both locally and internationally with notable agencies including the Wallis Consulting Group, Kantar and DBM Consultants, before building and leading the Insights & Analytics team at Mercer. As a Principal, Elyssia held senior leadership roles in Marketing and Customer Experience, before joining SEEK to head up the Customer Insights & Strategy team. Elyssia has been a member of the Victorian Division Committee (Higher Education and Buyer sub-committees), regular contributor to the Research News, and delivered training in research buying. With our Strategic Partner Ashton Media, Elyssia is a Co-Chair of the CX Collective, Customer Insights Symposium Advisory board member, judge of the annual Insights Award category and regular presenter. Elyssia holds a Masters in Strategic Marketing (with Distinction), a Postgraduate diploma in Applied Science (Social Statistics) and a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Media).
QPR, Fellow of The Research Society
Peter is the Co-CEO of Bastion Insights. He helps brands build authentic customer relationships through balancing the human touch with technology. With deep roots in research, marketing and strategy, Peter has been pioneering customer intelligence on the Agency side since 2000, guiding and growing organisations such as Potentiate (Globally), Vision Critical Asia Pacific and Colmar Brunton and supporting hundreds of customer-led brands, globally including Telstra, Adobe and Cathay Pacific. Peter has championed the future of research and technology across his leadership roles at prominent Aussie and Global trade organisations, including TRS, APRC and GRBN. Peter is a Fellow of both the Australia Marketing Institute and The Research Society.
Lyndall Spooner
B.Sc., M.Com., QPR
Like many people I fell into market research more than twenty years ago. It wasn't a conscious career choice, but it has become my only career choice and I'm very thankful for the serendipitous introduction. I started as a researcher within business and technology consulting firms before taking a role with a market research company in 2000, and then starting Fifth Dimension in 2006.Over that time our industry has changed dramatically – not just from advances in technology, but to a fragmentation of research into several sub-industries that today often have a higher profile than market research. I am very passionate about our industry and I would like the opportunity to use my knowledge of consulting and technology, my networks, my research experience and passion for innovation and disruption, to drive a stronger profile for market research and regard for the skills and integrity of a market researcher. I believe we can push the boundaries of what everyone from university students to C-suite, and most importantly market researchers, believe that market research can deliver in terms of value.
Angus Hunter
CEO, The Research Society
Angus Hunter has over 20 years operational and marketing leadership experience driving business growth. He has held leadership roles in both the public and private sector within the education, professional services, digital technology and entertainment industries. Angus commenced his career in advertising before moving client-side in product development, marketing and general management roles. Prior to joining The Research Society, he worked on the NSW Department of Education's Schools Digital Strategy, a 7 year program to uplift digital equity and capability across NSW Public Schools. Angus has been a buyer and consumer of many forms of research throughout his career and is a passionate advocate for bringing the voice of the customer into not only product and service development but also into business strategy.
angus@researchsociety.com.au
Leslea Clements
Events & Operations Manager
leslea@researchsociety.com.au
QPR Accreditation
Julie Regan
QPR Manager
julie@researchsociety.com.au
Sue York
Training Manager
sue@researchsociety.com.au
Jane Gregory
Professional Standards Officer, Fellow of The Research Society
PSO@researchsociety.com.au
Louise Jones
louise@researchsociety.com.au
Constitution and Regulations
Download The Research Society Annual Report 2019-20
Download The Research Society Constitution
Download The Research Society Regulations - available to members only
24 June 2021: Member Notice - Change of Auditor. Download Announcement Letter Here
National AGM 2021
The National AGM 2021 will be held at 4pm (ESDT) on Wednesday 24th November 2021, via live online streaming.
Please click on the links below to download the relevant documentation for the National AGM.
Download the AGM Notice
Download the proxy form, please complete and return it to the Research Society office by 5.00pm (EDST) Tuesday 23rd of November 2021 if you are unable to attend the AGM.
Download the 2020-21 Annual Report
Download the minutes from the 2020 AGM
Provided by the late Mike Larbalestier, Past Chairman - Federal Council - Australian Market & Social Research Society.
Market Research generally had its origins in social survey research in the United Kingdom. Some people even like to pretend the Doomsday Book was the first bit of systematic research - it may have been the first census but it was not a sample survey. Social sample survey research came from the enquiring minds of the great English liberal social reformers who were horrified by the conditions in which many of their countrymen were living and used carefully compiled factual reports to drive home the situation to their compatriots. The classics in English social survey research were: Mayhew's "London Life and London Poor" (1851), Charles Booth's monumental 17 volume study of "Labour and Life of the People of London" (1886), Rowntree's "Poverty: A study of Town Life" (1901) and Arthur Bowley's "Livelihood and Poverty" (1912).
In the meantime mathematicians in Europe had been developing sampling theory (originally for genetic experiments, then for agricultural purposes, and finally for quality control purposes in factory production processes), and bright young Dr Hollerith had been developing punched card equipment for the US Bureau of the Census. Freud had stimulated a great deal of thought about psychological processes and in particular the learning processes, so by the early 1900s not only the theoretical concepts, but also the practical tools were at hand for the first generalised use of social survey techniques in the marketing area.
As is not unusual, it was the advertising profession that led the way, with Claude Hopkins publishing his book on "Scientific Advertising" in 1912, although it was another 13 years before Daniel Starch brought out his book on "Principles of Advertising" (1925). By the 1930's, the large consumer companies in both the UK and the USA were into market research in a reasonably big way. Media research was recognised in the UK with the establishment of the BBC Listener Research Department in 1936, the same year that public opinion polling became a distinct sub-branch with the formation of the Gallup Poll.
Australia was not, in fact, far behind. The first recorded consumer study was carried out by Rudi Simmatt of J Walter Thompson in 1929, who also organised a study of the automobile market in 1930. J Walter Thompson was the original training ground of Australian market research pioneers Sylvia Ashby and Bill McNair, the latter of whom initiated the first studies of the radio audience in Australia in 1934. Sylvia Ashby opened the first independent market research company in Australia in 1936, with the McNair Survey being registered in 1944. The Roy Morgan Research Centre was established in 1941 to carry out Gallup Polls.
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