When MRMW APAC convenes in Singapore on April 14–15, 2026, the conversations on stage will reflect something increasingly rare in the industry: a room where the people presenting are the same people doing the work.
Now in its latest edition, Asia’s leading market research and consumer insights conference has assembled a speaker lineup that cuts across industries, geographies, and disciplines, united by a single mandate: no theory without application. Here is a closer look at the practitioners leading the agenda.
Rewiring the Insights Function
Stefania Accardo, Global Director of Martech and Consumer Data Engine at DeLonghi Group, opens the conference with a keynote that sets the tone for everything that follows. With over 15 years of experience transforming insights into business impact across international markets, Accardo will address how insights functions can evolve to balance global scale with deep local relevance, moving organizations from static studies to continuous, real-time intelligence.
Complementing that vision, Mohit Kapila, Regional Head of Customer Insights APAC at A.P. Moller – Maersk, will demonstrate how insight-driven leadership operates at the highest levels of a global logistics organization, from addressing customer churn to identifying growth opportunities in emerging markets like Vietnam.
AI, Technology, and the Question of Integrity
As AI reshapes every corner of the research process, the question is no longer whether to adopt it, but how to do so without losing what makes research valuable in the first place. Emily Yang, Head of Human-Centered AI at Standard Chartered Bank, will examine where bias persists in AI systems despite best intentions, applying the 10 HCAI Human Factors framework to develop more inclusive approaches to generative AI in research.
Sebastien Boisseau, Regional Head of Digital Customer Engagement at Menarini Asia Pacific, takes a hands-on approach in a dedicated workshop, guiding participants through prompt engineering, tool selection, and AI governance frameworks designed specifically for market research practitioners.
Innovation, R&D, and the Human Factor
Shawn Roy, APAC Scaled Innovation and Insights Lead at Haleon, alongside Dr. Debjit Dutta, NPD Brand Lead for Wider Asia Wellness, will explore what happens when deep human understanding meets rigorous science, and how insights and R&D can co-create innovation that is both commercially viable and consumer-led.
From a different angle, Serhiy Kalinovsky, Strategic Foresight Global Lead at Mondelez International, will present the MDLZ proprietary Trend Framework and Snacking Trend Radar, a system that synthesizes consumer surveys, social listening, ingredient data, and trade publications into a structured process for engineering product innovation.
CX Beyond the Survey
Irene Lew Chai Ling, Head of Customer Experience Malaysia at OCBC, will challenge one of the most persistent habits in CX research: the post-purchase survey. Her session makes the case for capturing sentiment at the moment of experience, before memory distorts perception, and embedding those signals directly into product development, pricing decisions, and executive dashboards.
Strategy, Brand, and Market Expansion
Zach Han, Head of Pricing and Strategy at Shell, will address how market intelligence can be elevated from tactical support to genuine strategic partnership — informing long-term organizational direction rather than simply validating decisions already made.
Elaine Tai, Director of Brand and Market Integration APAC and US Retail at VIVAIA, brings a brand perspective — exploring how consumer understanding translates into positioning that reflects sustainability, comfort, and values-driven growth across diverse global audiences.
For expansion decisions specifically, Suryo Aji Soekarno, Vice President of Market and Consumer Intelligence at Maybank, will present how Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT), fusing telco mobility data, banking indicators, and demographic signals, can replace educated guesses with precise, data-backed location strategies.
The Closing Provocation
The conference closes with a panel that asks the question most events avoid. Moderated by Rais Fiqriansyah of PT Dua Kelinci and featuring Priya Khanna from PepsiCo, Elaine Tam from Diageo, and Divya Chadha from Agoda, Stop Optimizing Yesterday’s Playbook will identify what research teams must kill, build, and bet on to remain relevant in the next three years — synthesizing two days of debate into actionable priorities.
Supported by the Industry’s Leading Innovators
MRMW APAC 2026 is made possible with the support of sponsors who represent the cutting edge of research technology and intelligence. Bolt joins as Title and Lanyard Sponsor, with Latana, Convosight, and Opensurvey as Gold Sponsors. GiftPay and iMotions complete the sponsor lineup as Silver Sponsors, together forming an ecosystem of tools and platforms that reflect the direction the industry is heading.
MRMW APAC 2026 takes place April 14–15 in Singapore. Registration and full agenda details are available at apac.mrmw.net. Get 15% using the promo code ARM1
