Ian Roberts – Research Hero
Ian Roberts, Founder, RealAIzIT
Ian Roberts brings nearly three decades of experience in the market research industry, consistently driving global sales and new business acquisition across Europe, the US and southeast Asia. His roles at companies including Ipsos, GfK, Voxco, Nebu, Bilendi and PureSpectrum have covered sales, business development, panel management and technical areas. He is known for exceeding targets, problem solving and leveraging technology, including AI, to optimise workflows and find solutions. Currently, as owner of RealAIzIT, he consults on AI adoption in market research (MR) and coaches new business techniques.
Ian was nominated because of his "unwavering commitment to nurturing the next generation of insights professionals — creating supportive networks, organising skill-building workshops and offering personalised career advice without seeking recognition. This behind-the-scenes engagement empowers countless researchers to embrace innovation while developing their professional identity in an evolving industry landscape."
1. What is the biggest challenge you have faced during your career?
The biggest challenge I faced was understanding the MR market space. I’d come from a technical background in central government, promoting the use of the internet to both business and consumers, but had little reference and knowledge of the industry, the motivators and driving factors behind purchase/project decisions. At that time, there were few sources of knowledge (and little information through Google searches).
2. What will be the next big trend or development in the research industry, and why?
The next trend in the industry will be the full automisation of the survey process, beyond API connections, with AI adopting a more intelligent decision-making role in triggering the next steps. AI is already influencing the way marketing is conducted, with Meta looking at releasing a fully AI automated marketing solution by the end of this year. AI will not just assist with reporting, translations and qualitative analysis, but will also add complimentary secondary sources to reports automatically generated, script surveys and qual briefing notes, and also conduct both voice and in-person (avatar) online qual focus groups.
3. Who inspires you as a researcher?
My biggest inspiration from my early days in the industry was Tim Macer. His software reviews resonanted with my technical background and helped me understand why elements of the software were developed and the insights issues/processes they sought to address. His concise reviews were exactly what I needed to understand why the technology was needed and its role within the sector, while still remembering a tool is only as good as its user.
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