The conference, which will take place in the year of the MRS’s 75th anniversary, will run online for three days between 16th March and 18th March 2021.

Spiegelhalter (pictured), who is professor of the public understanding of risk in the Statistical Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, will discuss the communication of statistical data.

Dr Camilla Pang, neurodivergent author of Explaining Humans, will speak about how market research can be conducted more inclusively to better reflect the perspectives and human behaviours in society.

Andréa Mallard, chief marketing officer at Pinterest, will also discuss what it means to be a ‘social brand’ in 2021 and how to build and maintain trust.

Major brands including the BBC, Facebook, Google, ITV, Deliveroo, Microsoft, Twitter, Samsung, Spotify and Shell are also appearing at the conference. A full line-up will be published by the MRS in the new year.

Jane Frost, chief executive of MRS, said: “2020 has been a watershed year for our sector, confirming the strategic importance of insight to a global audience and closing with the news that the business of evidence is now worth at least £7bn in the UK.

“We must harness the innovations and best practice from the past year to fuel further progress and cement insight’s role at the heart of the recovery and beyond. That is what Impact 2021 is all about.”