Bethan Blakeley – Research Hero
Bethan Blakeley, Research Director, Boxclever
Bethan focuses on big outcomes and making real-world, commercial recommendations, especially seeing recommendations come to life in an advert, on a shelf, during an experience or in the news a few months down the line.
Bethan says that she has always worked towards bringing numbers and statistics closer to research – using analytics to help understand and explain why people do the things they do, and what should be done about it. Bethan currently works in the analytics team at Boxclever Consulting in Leeds.
Bethan was nominated for "shining a light on diversity and LGBTQ+ through contributing in panels, sharing tips and tricks for conducting more inclusive research or featuring in the Positive Birth Company’s #ProudParent campaign."
What is the biggest challenge you have faced during your career?
Honestly – I’ve always struggled with imposter syndrome, and convincing myself it isn’t an accident that my time in research has been as great as it has been so far. I have to make a huge effort to ignore those annoying nagging doubts and to keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Afterwards, I know that I’ve done the right thing and I always really enjoy it, but at the time it can feel pretty scary.
What will be the next big trend or development in the research industry, and why?
I still think that as an industry, we’re moving closer to being able to use existing data in a much more powerful way – utilising tools such as artificial intelligence and data science to answer the big business questions. More importantly than that, we’re always developing and working with countless different areas of the business to synergise research and data with the other working parts to create one, unified, powerful story.
Who inspires you as a researcher?
Perhaps a bit cheesy, but my team. The people around me. They’re the ones who turn up, every day and stand with me, working together to overcome our challenges. Having a supportive team around you is so important – for the big things, the huge projects, the global clients, but also for the little things – asking how you are, making you a brew, and genuinely caring.
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