Who is your person of the year?

Emma Cooper, chief people officer, System1 Group 
I’d have to say Kamala Harris. Although she didn’t win, she came remarkably close — rising from relative invisibility to a position of prominence. We all know how challenging it is to build brand fluency, and her journey exemplifies the strength, courage, and optimism needed to take on such a formidable challenge. Regardless of the outcome, I believe she’s earned widespread respect, if not everyone’s vote. 

Babita Earle, international managing director, Zappi
Rebecca Cole - I would say she is my person within the industry. I never met another person that has given as much to our industry as Rebecca. She does it selflessly without the need for external kudos. She has chaired, ran and sponsored so many different initiatives. I also love her desire for action. We all need a ‘Becs’ on our side and we are very lucky to have her. 

Neil Bellamy, consumer insights director, NielsenIQ
Taylor Swift.  A ‘childless cat lady’ who helped to boost economies around the world wherever her tour visited, whilst also donating $6.5m to charity and food banks this year, and spreading some much-needed shimmer, friendship and joy to millions of fans. 

Kate Jalie, equity partner, Opinium
In terms of cultural, economic and political impact, it’s hard to look beyond Taylor Swift in 2024. Her global Eras tour was the highest grossing tour of all time, and in her spare time between shows she picked up a Grammy for Album of the Year, and was Spotify Wrapped Global Top Artist. She was also credited for adding billions to the economies of the countries she toured, being the “biggest and most influential endorsement target” in the US election, creating an earthquake and dramatically increasing female viewership of the NFL; showing that arts and culture can have repercussions well beyond immediate fans. 

Ben Shimshon, chief executive and founding partner, Thinks Insight & Strategy
Kim Leadbeater MP, for using the private members bill ballot to such incredible effect with the assisted dying bill. Whatever you think of the bill itself, she’s had a huge impact that will be felt for years and decades to come. 

Amy Cashman, executive managing director for the insights division, Kantar
Gisèle Pelicot’s bravery and her ability to stand up in front of the world to change the discourse around gendered violence makes her my person of the year by a country mile. What an incredible, inspiring woman. 

Ray Poynter, chief research officer, Potentiate
Elaine Rodrigo from Reckitt Benckiser has been a beacon for change, for client initiatives and for the recognition of women throughout 2024.

Tatenda Musesengwa, head of audiences, Savanta
Graham Idehen would be my person of the year. His work for Representation in Research with the Market Research Society has helped push the importance of researchers conducting research that represents the populations we research.  

Danielle Todd, director, The Forge
Judith Rose and the whole Explners team. How insight and strategy land and are socialised within an organisation is imperative to its success. I love the fun and charismatic approach they’ve taken to addressing this gap, and providing a wonderful solution for time poor organisations. I would expect nothing less from anything Judith turns her hand to! 

Christopher Barnes, president, Escalent
The American consumer saved the US economy and gave a significant boost to the global economy this year. If they had stopped spending, we could be in a massive recession right now. But the consumer — and the 70% of the GDP they control — kept things going. This is a great reminder that it is humans who are so important to research, so it’s our responsibility to represent all of them well, understand them not just in aggregate but as individuals, and meet them where they are through smart survey design. There is a wave of generational change coming, and the businesses that thrive will be those that understand the diversity of incoming populations.