MRS is awarding Honorary Fellowships to 16 public and business figures to mark its 80^th anniversary year.

The individuals are recognised for ‘outstanding contributions to research and evidence’ across journalism and communications, business and marketing, community and politics, polling, statistics and public life.

In the field of journalism and communications, Ros Atkins has been honoured for championing verified intelligence and making complex stories accessible in his work at the BBC, while Caroline Criado-Perez is honoured for her work in making the case for better evidence to ensure women are included in decision-making.

In business and marketing, the Honorary Fellows are: Alex Gourlay for underscoring the tangible impact of customer insight to drive meaningful change; Tony Langham, whose career has placed customer insight at the heart of political and economic campaigning, alongside co-founding Opinium; Sophie Devonshire for advancing insight-led marketing in her role as chief executive at The Marketing Society; Dex Hunter-Torricke for bringing analysis, integrity and evidence-led story telling to complex and controversial issues; Justin Basini for advocating a customer-centric business approach, alongside his advocacy on mental health; and Saj Arshad, for his leadership as MRS president and longstanding support for the value of research.

In the community and politics arena, Mete Coban has been honoured for applying insight to civic engagement, youth participation in democracy and policymaking through his roles in local government and as founder and chief executive of youth charity My Life My Say.

In research and polling, the Honorary Fellows are: Dr Elaine Rodrigo, for outstanding leadership in market research, insights and analytics within global organisations; Kelly Beaver for championing high-quality research, data and analysis to inform public debate; Jim Whaley for his support for the market and social research sector, including advocacy for MRS, support for the Archive of Social and Market Research and leadership on data quality; Professor Jane Green for her significant contributions in her leadership role of the British Polling Council; and Eliot Higgins, for pioneering evidence-based, open-source investigation as founder of Bellingcat.

In statistics, Ed Humpherson is honoured for working to ensure statistics and data serve the public good, while Professor Denise Lievesley is honoured for her contribution to social statistics, social science and public policy, and leadership as president of the Archive of Social and Market Research. 

Jane Frost CBE, chief executive, MRS, said: “MRS was founded 80 years ago to drive forward high quality and professional standards within research and champion evidence-led decision-making. Against today’s backdrop of uncertainty, disruption and change, that mission has never been more important.

“We know that the UK research and evidence sector a vital source of intelligence for organisations navigating complexity and change. These new Honorary Fellows have each demonstrated this in action. They have used research, data and insight within their fields and shown its power to improve understanding, to support better decisions and to strengthen public trust. As we mark MRS’ 80th anniversary, it is a privilege to recognise their contribution and celebrate the many ways in which evidence continues to shape business, society and public life.”

• More information on the new Honorary Fellows can be found on the MRS website.