Jane Frost is CEO of MRS, the UK’s professional body for research which also regulates the UK sector, campaigning for better standards in data use via its trust mark Fair Data. MRS champions research and insight to government and business. MRS is the world’s oldest research association and represents both individuals and companies, qualifying researchers around the world.
Jane spent 8 years at senior levels in government, spearheading customer intelligence and strategy, latterly in HM Revenue & Customs, for which work she received the CBE.
With an international career working on brands like Shell, the BBC and Unilever, Jane has over 150 creative and marketing awards to her credit, including for the BBC’s record breaking “Perfect Day” campaign. She has always said that great insight was key to organisational transformation.
At the BBC, she was part of readying technology businesses for sale.
Jane is Vice-Chair of Fairtrade and a trustee of the Lowry as well as being a trustee of the sector charity MRBA and Archive, (AMSR). She has recently been made Co-Chair of the Red Cross Tiffany Circle.
We are facing a time of unprecedented opportunity, and also crisis for the research sector.
With the growth of mass data sets (derived it seems from almost everywhere) the increase of ‘do it yourself’ applications and the fragmentation of budgets outside marketing departments, we have a huge challenge to perceptions and the future of our sector.
If we are to seize the opportunities of mass data, the need to integrate corporate data and insights and the professionalism required by new privacy regulation, we must, as a sector, have a framework, a narrative, which proves the value of what we do not just as an ROI but as fundamental to organisational growth. Just as importantly, we must address the CFO and CEO in a language they understand.
Intelligence Capital provides that framework and presents a narrative that positions our sector as being core to competitive growth.
I will cover the Intelligence Capital concept, the vision for the future and the impact it has on the talent and skills our sector requires for the future.