Call for Leadership Team Members and &more Champions
11 April 2024

&more is the Market Research Society (MRS) young researchers’ network. It is a community designed to enable young insight, research, and analytics professionals to connect and flourish in their careers. It has been specifically designed to cater to those who are under 30 years of age or who are new to the research industry.

The &more Leadership Team is comprised of bright young professionals who represent the diversity of industry and champion young researchers across the industry. They support with event planning including socials and our annual conference, feed into industry networks, and have the opportunity to build relationships with so many young people across the industry.

The current Leadership Team have been serving for a while and it is time for a refresh. The refresh will provide an opportunity for a new Leadership Team to serve as well as for there to be &more champions across the wider industry.

How you can get involved…

We are looking for approximately 5 individuals to shadow the current Leadership Team over the next 12 months before they step into the role of the new Leadership Team.

What will be required of you?

• You will be assigned an area of interest to focus on (e, g, events, marketing, resource development etc.) which you will be required to drive forward with the support of the MRS Professional Development Manager, Mel Coghlan.
• You will be required to attend regular Leadership Team meetings to provide updates (approx. 1 per quarter) with the majority being online and scheduled at times to work around your availability/work schedule.
• You will be required to attend any additional meetings with &more champions, Jane Frost, the MRS Main Board, etc. You will be provided ample notice of these, and most times will not need to all attend depending on the subject being discussed.
• You will be required to attend events including &more socials (e.g. annual summer party), wider MRS events which may be relevant to your area of interest to champion/represent young researchers, etc. to help meet other young researchers and encourage them to sign up to the network as well as speak to senior leaders who don’t currently have young researchers attending events  
• You will be a ‘go to’ to comment on young researchers and the future of the industry more broadly (e.g. Research Live)
  
  

We will be operating based on a transitional model throughout 2024/5 so that the knowledge of the current Leadership Team can be passed on to the incoming Leadership Team, but we expect that over time there will be gaps to fill on the Team where an election for a specific number of spots is called versus the entire Team. This is particularly important as the champions is a new initiative. The current Leadership Team is expected to fully step away by the end of 2025.

Your term on the Leadership Team will be for 3 years due to the transitional model. Following this, individuals will be elected for 2 years. This will enable us to ensure there is a stream of fresh ideas and that individuals do not get burnt out. There will be an open election/submission for new individuals to join. You may serve for a maximum of 4 years, whether this is consecutive or split terms.

In addition, we would like to provide an opportunity for those who like to be champions of young researchers to do so.

What will be required of you?

• You will be matched with a working group from across MRS and agree to attend the relevant sessions that they hold. We will aim to match you with a subject you are interested in on a best-effort basis.
• For example, some may hold sessions once a month, but it may only be relevant for you to attend some of these sessions. Please stay in touch with whoever is chairing the group and ensure you know the agenda ahead of time to assist with this.
• At these sessions you will be an active participant, championing young researchers. In some instances, you may be jointly responsible for initiatives they are driving. However, this is to be agreed with you.
• Once a quarter you will join the Leadership Team and all of the other champions to feedback on what you have been doing. This opportunity to share learnings is key as this will enable us to understand what is going on across the industry and keep everyone engaged.
• Twice a year we will all meet with Jane Frost, CEO of the MRS to update her on progress. This will enable everyone to have access to senior Leadership across the industry and practice key skills such as advocating for initiatives and presenting which will be useful in their day job.
  
  

Your term as an &more Champion will be for 2 years. There will be an open election/submission for new individuals to serve. You may serve for a maximum of 4 years whether this is consecutive or split terms. This also includes time spent on the Leadership Team.

What you can gain from taking part…

• Meet new people who work across the industry in different parts of the business and across the UK.
• Increase your visibility across the industry with senior stakeholders who run and own businesses.
• Utilise your time for MRS initiatives to drive your internal development by linking it to your objectives.
• Help to shape the networking and career development activities that young researchers are involved in across our industry.
  
  

Leadership Team Testimonial:

“I was first exposed to &more at one of their conferences and I stayed connected to their events afterwards. When the opportunity to get involved with the Leadership Team came up, I put myself forward, but I could have never imagined the doors it opened for me. I have met so many people across our industry, been given a platform to speak about the issues that matter to me, and now I am on the MRS Main Board.”

• LaShanda Seaman, &more Leadership Team Member
  
  

Next steps

If you are interested in getting involved, can you kindly submit a response to Mel by emailing melissa.coghlan@mrs.org.uk answering the questions below. Your response can be written (up to 500 words) or in video format (max 5 minutes). If submitting in alternative format would be more accessible for you, then please reach out to the Team and we would be more than happy to discuss it with you.

1. What do you believe you can bring to the Leadership Team / Champions?
2. What do you think our industry needs to prioritise to equip younger researchers for the rise of AI?

Deadline for submissions closes on 29^th April and we will be in touch with candidates after a period of review, no later than the end of May.