Susan Abbott
Abbott Research & Consulting

Susan Abbott, CMRP is a qualitative researcher with a passion for insight-led innovation. Prior to launching Abbott Research + Consulting in 2001, Susan was a vice-president of TD Bank Financial Group where she held diverse general management positions. She has an MBA from Ivey Business School, and is an elected director of QRCA.  She frequently speaks and writes on topics related to managing customer experience, insights and innovation, including publishing the CustomerCrossroads blog since 2004. Always looking for ways to make life easier, Susan likes the idea that clients find her before she has to hunt for them.

A high energy speaker who engages an audience. Absolutely solid content, visually attractive support materials, well delivered in an interactive style.

Susan shares knowledge about building professional profile, managing customer experience and finding insights to drive innovation.

Keynote Speaker
Building your Golden Chain of Profile
9:00am – 10:15am

Brian Baumal
Thinklounge

Brian Baumal is a market researcher with over 15 years qualitative experience, having conducted well over 1,000 qualitative sessions in his career.  His clients have included major brands such as U of T, The LCBO, Bullfrog Energy, McDonald’s and Red Bull.  He is also an experienced public sector moderator, having conducted focus groups for every major Federal Government department, as well as many provincial governments.  In order to improve his qualitative techniques, Brian received certification as a Gestalt Psychotherapist, and now splits his time equally between qualitative research and a therapy practice in mid-town Toronto.  When asked which sector he prefers working in, Brian says very tactfully that “both researcher clients and therapy clients tend to have the same neurotic issues.”

Deconstructing The Qualitative Experience
10:35am – 11:45pm

Kate Dennis
Open Door Insights

Kate is seasoned researcher, strategy consultant and RIVA trained moderator with over 20 years in the business.  Combining the power of creative insight from her early start at Ogilvy & Mather with the disciplines of rich consumer research fundamentals from years at Procter & Gamble and Labatt Breweries, Kate users her skills and expertise to help her clients quickly understand issues, identify opportunities and take appropriate action. Kate’s prior experience includes work in consumer packaged goods, alcoholic beverages, sports, health and wellness, television, QSR’s and not-for-profit, to name just a few.

Online Qualitative –
When, How and Why to Employ this new tool
1:55pm – 2:55pm

Sam Ladner
Copernicus Consulting

Sam Ladner has practiced ethnographic research for over 10 years. Dr. Ladner runs her own firm, Copernicus Consulting, which specializes in ethnographic research for marketing, design, and branding. Her clients have included Citibank, Moneris, Smith Barney, Nokia, Dell, VeriSign, GSK Canada, Roche, and Genentech. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, and has driven innovative online products such as an online credit card selector, and has powered mobile advertising campaigns.  Her current research focus is the social impact mobile and smartphones. She holds a PhD in sociology from York University and currently holds the post of Postdoctoral Fellow at Ryerson University in Toronto, where she manages the Mobile Work Life project.

Truth, Lies and Ethnography
12:45pm – 1:45pm

Gen Lamorie-Wallace
Phase 5 Consulting

Gen Lamorie-Wallace, Vice-President with Phase 5, has pioneered her organization’s approach to conducting qualitative research in this new online environment.  Gen has worked with some of the largest Canadian and U.S. organizations to conduct innovative studies that have leveraged technology platforms for qualitative research purposes. Gen Lamorie-Wallace is a respected qualitative moderator with more than a decade of research experience, much of which has involved human factors research related to online properties.  

Gen was a keen early-adopter of online qualitative research techniques and was instrumental in helping to develop Phase 5’s online qualitative data collection techniques.  The emerging popularity of Web 2.0 applications caught Gen’s attention and she has led the development of several new techniques that leverage these technologies for qualitative research.   Gen was a past contributor to Vue, the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA)’s industry publication, focusing on issues and challenges facing organizations that engage in online research.

Lessons Learned when adapting technology platforms for qualitative research
10:35am – 11:45pm

Judy Langer
Langer Qualitative, QRCA Field Committee Chair

Judy Langer, president of Langer Qualitative, has been a qualitative researcher for 30+ years.  A founder and first president of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA), she has been a member of its Field Committee from its start and currently serves as its chair.  Judy has conducted workshops on qualitative research for research organizations around the world.  Her book, The Mirrored Window:

Focus Groups from a Moderator's Point of View, is a practical and opinionated guide to the use of qualitative research

Improving Relationships between Field,
Moderator and Buyer
1:55pm – 2:55pm

David Lithwick
Market Alert Ltd.

David Lithwick is principal of Market Alert Limited, a Toronto based research intelligence consultancy.     With 25 years experience and over 800 studies completed, he is a recognized expert in competitive intelligence tactics, analysis and training.

David has been an education lecturer for the past 20 years, written “Competitive Intelligence Manual for Marketing Practitioners”; the first CI manual developed for Canadian marketing professionals and authored 35 articles.

Prior to Market Alert, David worked in banking as a market research analyst and in advertising at McLaren and FCB Direct managing the Pfizer and Wendy’s Restaurants accounts, respectively.   David studied at The Wharton School and earned an MBA from McGill University

Adding Competitive Intelligence (CI) to
your qualitative toolkit
12:45pm – 1:45pm

Layla Shea
Upwords Marketing Solutions

Layla's unique background as a former consumer packaged goods marketer (Coca-Cola, SC Johnson), and then consultant/facilitator (Sklar Wilton & Associates) has honed her qualitative research skills from many angles.   Layla has developed a passionate expertise in designing and moderating in the online realm.  Layla designs research with a deep understanding of the issues to be solved and turns them into actionable implications. Layla has completed online qualitative research for clients in consumer packaged goods, alcoholic beverages, financial institutions, telecommunications, retail, and not-for-profit industries, to name a few.   Clients are raving fans of her online approach, and simple results-oriented reports.

Online Qualitative –
When, How and Why to Employ this new tool
1:55pm – 2:55pm

Ben Smithee
Spych Research

As CEO of Spych Market Analytics, LLC, Ben brings a new energy to the world of marketing research and strategic consulting. Ben and his team at SPYCH are known for their innovative approaches, and ability to not only have their fingers on the pulse of what’s new and cool, but what really matters. Ben has been a featured speaker around the globe, and has worked with industry-leading companies such as General Mills, eBay, The American Cancer Society, Coca-Cola, Fiat, Pfizer, Hallmark, GEICO and many more. His passion and excitement resonate in all that he does.

A Look at The Hyper-Mobile Future,
and What it Means to Research
10:35am – 11:45pm