Speakers

Paul Metz, CEO, C+R Research

Paul Metz, Chief Executive Officer, has over 30 years of custom research and business management experience in client and supplier organizations. At C+R, Paul drives innovation for the company’s solutions and maintains active engagement with clients to address their business challenges and translate insights into effective marketing strategies. 

With a strong background in quantitative survey-based and syndicated research methods, Paul has worked with diverse industries, including Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG), retail, and public service/social impact projects. His expertise includes market segmentation, brand equity, new product innovation, and advertising effectiveness. 

Before joining C+R, Paul held positions at The Quaker Oats Company and M/A/R/C. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from Northwestern University and an M.S. in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also lectures and serves on an External Advisory Board. 

Andy Dexter, Founder Director, Signoi Ltd

Andy has over 25 years’ experience and expertise as a serial entrepreneur in the world of marketing, insight and strategy. He has been the founder of multiple award-winning agencies, including Illuminas and Truth Consulting. Andy is a well-known thought leader in the sector and has gained many industry awards for his conference presentations and papers. He has been experimenting with the measurement of meaning for some years and launched Signoi in 2019 to deliver the world’s first commercial software for quantitative semiotics. His latest venture – AI Bods – taps into the power of new generation AI to simulate, based on high quality data, market research audiences in an accurate and engaging way. Along the road, he’s also been an advisor to MESH Experience and a Non-Executive Director of Verve. He is a fellow of the UK Market Research Society. 

Kathleen Blum, VP of Shopper Insights, C+R Research

Kathleen Blum has over 30 years of marketing, strategy, consumer and shopper insights experience on both the client and supplier sides. At C+R Research, Kathleen leads the ShopperEyes® practice which leverages a suite of customizable approaches to create innovative solutions for manufacturers and retailers facing the ever-changing retail landscape and shopper expectations, including an omni-channel shopper journey model and a new Shopper Segmentation Study that aid brands in understanding their shoppers’ behaviors.  

Prior to joining C+R, Kathleen worked for Champion Petfoods, Mars, MillerCoors, W.W. Grainger, Willard Bishop Consulting and Jim Beam Brands International. She is also a recipient of the Path to Purchase Institute’s Who’s Who in Shopper Insights.