The council will advise MRS policy on diversity and inclusion, and also help with measurement and initiatives to attract diverse new talent to the market research sector.

Recognising and rewarding the progress of raising the awareness and understanding of culturally and socially diverse, marginalised or minority communities will also be in the council’s remit.

Babita Earle, MRS board member and executive vice-president of strategic and industry partnerships at Zappi, will chair the council.

The diversity, inclusion and equality council follows a number of recent MRS initiatives to address diversity issues on the market research industry.

One example is the CEO pledge, which asks business leaders to make five commitments towards creating safer and more representative workplaces, including publishing pay statistics annually, increasing the representation of women and ethnic minorities at board level, and improving recruitment practices.

MRS also works with initiatives such diversity awareness group Colour of Research (CORe), Women in Research (WIRe) and LGBTQ+ body MRSpride.

Earle said: “We are aiming to build awareness of all the good work that is happening, to make connections between people and organisations at the forefront of change, and to guide our industry on issues of representation, equality and accountability.

“We want to encourage progress through celebrating case stories and be fearless in lifting the lid on difficult challenges – we won’t shy away from having uncomfortable conversations.”

Jane Frost, chief executive of MRS, said: “Many of the challenges surrounding diversity, inclusion and equality are intersectional, and we are stronger as a collective force in accelerating change. I’m grateful to Babita for taking up the role of chair and am optimistic that the council has the drive and support from the sector needed to have a real impact.”