Unilever’s Keith Weed among new MRS Honorary Fellows

As the MRS celebrates its 70th year, in recognition of the importance of research in business and society, the organisation has awarded a total of six Honorary Fellows to eminent public and business figures.

The other recipients are Christopher Graham, for his work in the area of personal data while Information Commissioner; Alan Rusbridger, who while editor of The Guardian took a firm stance on personal data as well as building the use of data analytics at the publication and the qualitative pioneer, Bill Schlackman.

Dame Margaret Hodge presented with her Honorary Fellow award by Dianne Thompson.

The Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge DBE MP, said: “I started in research – my early days were working for a subsidiary of J Walter Thomson: EMRB [European Market Research Bureau].  I was there when they set that up, so it’s very satisfying to see the circle come round.

“I feel very honoured, though I can't quite understand why they've given it to me!  Maybe it’s because I've always been very tough on actually using the evidence to determine how you do the policy and that isn't how a lot of people work. Public policy tends to be people that are driven by ideology or by conviction. You can have your convictions, but if you want to implement them well you've got to have it based on evidence.”

Jane Frost, CEO of MRS, added: “The decision to more than double our number of honorary fellows reflects both the pride we feel about the positive impact research has had over the years, and our optimism for the future. Our new honorary fellows are testament to the importance of high quality evidence and transformative power of curiosity and insight across a wide range of industries.”