Mumbai: The Market Research Society of India (MRSI) has announced Kantar Insights and Bharti Airtel Ltd as the winner of its 33rd Annual Market Research Seminar for their original research paper titled ‘Reconstructing Bharat: A Scientific Approach to Estimating India’s Population Demographics at a District Level’.
Knowledge Excel’s ‘Guardians of the Survey: Fighting Fraud to Protect Research Integrity and Data Quality Benchmarking’ and Zee Entertainment Enterprises with Third Eye Integrated Services’ ‘Streaming the Paradox – Gen Z and the Intergenerational Remix’ were declared as the runner-up papers.
This year’s seminar, themed ‘The Power of And’, spotlighted 22 shortlisted papers selected from over 100 submissions, showcasing groundbreaking research and innovative thinking within the insights industry.
The event opened with a keynote address by Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India, who underscored the critical role of data in shaping India’s development journey. He highlighted the government’s focus on data-driven decision-making for Viksit Bharat, aiming for a $30 trillion economy and higher per capita income over the next 25 years. He also stressed collaboration with private enterprises, academia, and global practices, pointing to innovations in AI, ML, geospatial, and alternative data that are strengthening insights for policymaking.
A knowledge panel featuring Dr. Ashish Bajaj (Group CMO, Narayana Health), K. Ramakrishnan (MD – South Asia, Worldpanel by Numerator), and Vishnu Shankar (Chief Cluster Officer – &TV FTA & Music, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.) offered perspectives on how brands can authentically thrive across India’s diverse cultural, social, and economic landscape. Other speakers included Aradhana Lal (SVP – Sustainability & ESG, Lemon Tree Hotels), Karthik Nagarajan (CEO, Hogarth India), and Vijay Raj (Head of Global CMI).
An engaging panel discussion on ‘Joys and Dilemmas of Insight in the Age of Technology’ brought together leaders such as Dixit Chanana (MD, Toluna India), Oslando Desouza (VP – Consumer Insight, HUL), Sharmila Das (Chairwoman, Purple Audacity), Siddhartha Nangia (Co-Founder, Smytten), Subhranshu Rout (Head, Consumer Insights & Intelligence, Bharti Airtel), and Soumya Mohanty (MD, Chief Client & Solution Officer, Kantar). The session was moderated by Chandan Mukherji, Director & EVP – Strategy, Marketing & Communication, Nestlé India.
Nitin Kamat, Chief Growth & Partnerships Officer, TAM Media Research and President at MRSI, said, “The Seminar has always been the beacon of insight leadership in India. This year, with the theme ‘The Power of And,’ we are proud to see the industry embracing integration—between technology and creativity, data and human stories, clients and agencies—to shape the future of market research.”
Adding to this, Rituparna Dasgupta, EVP – Network Research & Consumer Insights, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. and Seminar Committee Chairperson, noted, “This year’s Seminar has been an incredible platform for dialogue, debate, and discovery. What stood out this year was the diversity of ideas — from breakthrough academic research to real-world brand case studies. It reflects the growing maturity and ambition of the Indian insights industry.”
Roosevelt Dsouza, APAC Head of Customer Success, NielsenIQ India and Seminar Committee Co-chair, concluded, “The seminar showcased how far the industry has come in embracing innovation and collaboration. The richness of discussions and the active participation from across sectors reinforced MRSI’s role as the hub for advancing research excellence in India.”
As an independent industry body, MRSI continues to advance advocacy and professional standards for the sector. The society also promotes self-regulation through its Self-Governance Framework for Ethical Conduct Across the Entire Market Research Industry, designed by its Professional Standards Committee.
The 33rd Annual Market Research Seminar was presented with Lead Partner SmyttenPulse AI, supported by Associate Partners Toluna and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., along with Premium Session Partners Kantar, Nestlé, ITC, and Hindustan Unilever Ltd.
