Samar blends rigorous research with gut and empathy. She's taken her fascination with the human psyche to a rich and diverse career in the Middle East, Asia, the US and now Europe. Over the last 12+ years, Samar's career led her to: co-found a media agency drive forward insights and innovation on various brands in the PepsiCo portfolio lead Omio's integrated Brand and UX research team She's built up a bountiful toolbox of research methodologies and the rarely-talked-about soft skills a researcher needs to be impactful, both with consumers and internal stakeholders. Today, Samar partners with agencies and select clients to improve business strategies, and to run a range consumer and design research projects. Her additional work in counseling and facilitating workshops to bring the mind-body into equilibrium offers a fresh perspective on research, human (customer) empathy and how to navigate the business environment.
My Mentoring Topics
- Defining Research Question + Developing Learning Plans.
- Some examples: Proof of Business Concept, CPG Innovation Pipeline, Brand Positioning, Target , UX Design Concept + Usability Research
- Executing Research Studies + Delivering Findings. Methodology examples;
- Quantitative (Adhoc survey writing / analysis, Brand Health Track, Campaign Measurement, Conjoint)
- Qualitative (Focus Groups, Concept Testing, Usability Studies, Ethnographies)
- Building critical research soft skills (Story Telling, Interviewing for qual research, Running Internal workshops (e.g. analysis sessions), Managing Stakeholders)
n.
20.January 2022it was very helpful and i got to learn real life scenarios and challenges where i can leverage them in my career. also samar was very open to talk about her experience and knowledge.
N.
22.March 2021I love the way Samar was able to connect user research with marketing research. I learned about the process and importance of creating personas to help us understand users needs. It was interesting to hear about her experience creating personas and the pros and cons of different methodologies.
E.
28.October 2020Samar was great in trying to find out what specific support I need and sharing her experience and resources with me that would help me succeed in my project. She provided a lot of insights about the ways to complete quantitative and qualitative research - I'll definitely apply in practice. Thank you!
G.
27.October 2020Collaborate with brand or market researchers to do some projects which give strategic exposure to consumer insights side of things. Question the research requests & think strategically. Read the cultural nuance book to work as a researcher with different geo locations
R.
25.January 2022This session was an immense help – Samar aided me in preparing for a kick-off meeting with the client. She's extremely nice and approachable but moreover – she speaks with unbelievable clarity and she really does care about helping others. She is a great mentor and I've already recommended her to a few friends.