Clients who need to make smarter and quicker decisions incorporating massive consumer databases, as well as traditional surveys, are looking to market researchers to reinvent themselves. How can MR raise its game to deliver the ROI clients need while upholding quality standards and meeting increasingly tight deadlines?

In a featured presentation at the CASRO Annual Conference tomorrow (October 21), Debra Pruent (GfK Board Member and COO, Consumer Experiences) will explore these and other challenges – and opportunities – facing market researchers today. Her session, “The Future of Research: New Truths and Paradigms for Our Industry,” will take place at 1:20PM; the CASRO conference is being held October 21 to 23 in Miami, Florida.

To request a copy of Pruent’s presentation, write to marketing(at)gfk.com

Pruent will look at how mobile, social media, and technology are disrupting MR, new sources of innovation and growth for the industry, and which key trend researchers need to watch for in the years to come.

Pruent, who recently announced that she will retire at the end of the year, is responsible for GfK’s global custom research and consumer panel business and for both the strategy and operational execution of this sector. She has been a GfK Management Board member since 2008 and was the first American to be named to the Board.

Pruent has significant experience in the market research industry. Prior to her current role she was COO of GfK Custom Research North America and Chief Executive Officer of NOP World Automotive US, which was acquired by the GfK Group in 2005. During her professional career, she has built up a strong track record in marketing and consultancy within automotive market research, both on the client and the research institute side. After nearly ten years with General Motors, Debbie joined automotive market researchers Allison-Fisher International in 1991 as a partner, which later became a part of NOP World.

Pruent holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and an M.S. in Applied Statistics from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, where she also lectured in the Department of Mathematics.