2025 Speakers Panel

Debayan is a design leader, storyteller, and culture-builder who’s spent the last 20+ years shaping how people experience products and technology. As Director and Head of Design at Samsung Research India, he leads teams working on everything from everyday digital experiences to bold future-facing breakthroughs. Originally trained in Industrial Design and Architecture, Debayan blends systems thinking with deep user empathy - and a knack for spotting opportunities where creativity can truly make a difference. He’s especially passionate about designing for daily-experiences using AI and XR, and about building thriving creative cultures in large teams and organizations. He’s spoken at industry and academic forums on topics like design thinking in the age of AI, crafting XR experiences, and why the best ideas often come from asking the most human questions. When he’s not immersed in design, Debayan can be found diving into books, singing with his daughter, or chasing stories across countries and culture

A versatile consumer research specialist with deep expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. With experience spanning across sectors such as consumer and industrial goods, media, and geo analytics. Have led various research projects across a wide spectrum of marketing themes—from brand advocacy and laddering to brand health, shopper journeys, and quick-turn dipsticks. Specializes in data interpretation, statistical analysis, consumer segmentation, perceptual mapping, and data modeling.

Dinesh Ramchandani is a seasoned leader in analytics, insights, and strategic consulting with over 15 years of experience across APAC and global markets. As Director of Data & Analytics at Unilever Asia, he spearheads enterprise-wide transformation initiatives, leveraging AI and data to drive marketing effectiveness, operational efficiency, and strategic growth. His work has contributed to savings and growth through optimized measurement programs and insight-driven decision-making. Dinesh is known for his ability to translate complex data into compelling narratives that influence C-level stakeholders and shape go-to-market strategies. He has led high-performing cross-functional teams and managed multimillion-dollar research programs across e-commerce, FMCG, and tech sectors. Prior to Unilever, he held leadership roles at Nielsen and TNS Global, delivering award-winning insights and driving revenue growth. An MBA graduate with a background in engineering, Dinesh is a certified machine learning practitioner and a recognized thought leader, having spoken at Campaign360, MRMW, Qual360, and DigitalConfex. Outside of work, he is passionate about yoga, meditation, and building inclusive, purpose-driven teams.

Ivan is a seasoned consumer-centric strategist with extensive experience in the finance and consumer lifestyle industries. At Great Eastern, he currently spearheads the Consumer Insights and Research function for Group Marketing. A champion of the consumer's perspective, Ivan leverages on consumer research, analytics, and market trend-scouting to help drive informed product design and marketing strategies. Previously, Ivan served as a global product management leader, overseeing consumer product creation for global markets at Philips and Sennheiser. His expertise in "futuring," innovation development, and product lifecycle management underscores his commitment to end-to-end consumer focus while aligning with business priorities.

Ernest Hui, Head of Design at Cathay, leads a team focused on creating innovative, user-centric designs. With extensive experience in UX research, they drive design strategies that enhance user experiences and achieve business goals. Ernest excels in user research, interaction design, and usability testing.

Mignon ‘Migs’ Bravo Dutt is currently the Head of Insights and Innovations at the Asia Pacific Breweries in Singapore (part of the Heineken Company). Migs is also an author who has published work in several countries, regions, and cultures. She is the author of the contemporary novel, The Rosales House, and the interlinked novella collection, Room 216, both from Penguin Random House SEA (PRHSEA). Migs has also published several essays, including one in the Washington Post about her pandemic experience in the USA. She has contributed prose and poetry to various anthologies and journals and has been featured in literary interviews and programs in Asia, Europe and the USA.

Shey Cobley is here to wage a friendly war on research theatre. With two decades in the trenches of design and strategy, she’s now leading bp’s global design studios where research isn’t a deck, it’s a decision-making weapon. Shey’s superpower? Making insights impossible to ignore. She’s worked across sectors, cultures, and chaos levels, always asking: “So what?” If your research doesn’t shift direction, change priorities, or spark a tough conversation was it ever worth doing?
She’s part strategist, part facilitator, part feedback troublemaker. Expect opinions, sharp questions, and practical ways to make research land in the real world not just a design file.

Prachi Sakhardande is a Principal Design Research Lead at Microsoft, spearheading user-centred design strategies for enterprise products. She has nearly two decades of experience in UX design and research, driving innovation across the industry. In her current role, Prachi leads research initiatives that inform product strategy, improve customer experiences, and champion inclusive design at scale. She has authored multiple patents on UX quality assessment techniques, reflecting her commitment to advancing the field of user experience. Prachi is also a recognized industry mentor, having guided emerging design talent through programs like TCS’s Digital Impact Square (DISQ) and the UMO design challenge. She has been actively involved in the design research community, serving on the steering committee of the India HCI conference and founding the popular “HCI Café” industry track to bridge the gap between practice and academia. Her leadership has earned her recognition as a winner of several innovation hackathons, and she continues to drive a culture of user-centric innovation in her team. In addition, she recently spearheaded an “Allyship for Women” initiative at Microsoft’s India Development Center, amplifying her commitment to creating equitable futures with technology

With over 25 years of experience in the food marketing industry, Sandrine Ambrosi has established a remarkable career working with renowned brands such as Danone, Ballantine's, and Canderel Pure Via. She has honed expertise in several key areas including: General Management, Driving strategic growth, operational excellence, and cross-functional leadership, Brand Positioning. Sandrine excels in developing and implementing strategic brand positioning that resonates with target audiences. By understanding market dynamics and consumer behavior, she has successfully positioned brands like Canderel to stand out in competitive landscapes, Brand Platform Management. With a keen eye for detail and a strategic mindset, she ensures that brand platforms are consistently aligned with the overall brand vision and objectives, fostering strong brand equity and loyalty.

Diana Soon brings over 15 years of experience in market and customer insights, with expertise spanning both quantitative and qualitative research. She has led strategic studies across IT, fintech, financial services, and the beauty industry, where she currently drives CX initiatives and spearheads the strategic integration of market intelligence through data-driven platforms that inform business decisions. A skilled questionnaire designer and moderator, she transforms insights into compelling narratives. From focus groups to boardrooms, she fosters meaningful conversations that drive impactful decisions, making her a go-to for understanding what drives customer delight (and what doesn’t).

Lynette Goh is the UX and Community Strategy Lead at Trust Bank. She’s spent over 10 years wrangling insights from users, passionate about understanding what makes humans tick to help de-risk product decisions and design delightfully different digital experiences. Before Trust Bank, she’s led multinational product and service innovation projects across fintech and healthcare, drawing on her background in academia, UX consultancy and technology startup.

Rutu Mody-Kamdar is the Founder of Jigsaw Brand Consultants, a boutique insight and strategy consultancy that helps brands make sense of India’s layered and evolving consumer landscape. With over 24 years of experience across qualitative research, semiotics, and brand strategy, she is known for her ability to decode cultural nuance and uncover emotional truths that drive business impact. Rutu collaborates with leading Indian and global brands across categories and is a regular columnist and speaker on consumer behavior, culture, and the future of branding in India.

Researcher, listener, curious and storyteller, Celine brings more than 15 years of fragrance industry experience turning lived experiences into meaningful insights across Asia Pacific. At Takasago International Singapore, she explores different ways to translate human language into creative fragrance development. Prior to joining Takasago, she had held various regional roles in different categories with the same objective of bridging the gap between consumer behaviour and preferences to creative perfume development/. When not analysing data or thinking what could be next, she enjoys travel, reading and baking.

With a Master’s in Psychology and a foundation in qualitative research, experienced in uncovering behavioral patterns that inform impactful business strategies. Skilled in exploratory and diagnostic studies across concept testing, product development, user experience, narramatics, brand health among others. With a keen focus on delivering nuanced & actionable insights. Always driven by natural curiosity and a commitment to continuous learning, seeking new perspectives to deepen understanding and fuel growth.

Constantinos is on a mission to transform brands from functional to emotional. As the founder of BRAND AVIATORS, he helps brands align every decision with the emotional architecture of the human brain. Using tools like the Wheel of Motives™ and The Science of Craving™ system, Constantinos turns brand truths into craveable sensory experiences—where flavor, texture, design, and storytelling align with deep emotional drivers. Constantinos has guided iconic brands such as Coca-Cola, Unilever, and Mondelez to express their true essence through flavor, texture, design, and storytelling. The result: brands that connect deeper, crave harder, and live longer in the hearts of consumers.

Rais Fiqriansyah is a passionate expert in consumer-centric research and development, with nearly a decade of experience transforming consumer insights into innovation across leading FMCG brands. He began his career at Unilever Indonesia, where he developed packaging solutions grounded in consumer behavior as part of the Consumer for Growth (C4G) agenda. He later served as Sustainable Packaging Executive at Kraft Heinz Indonesia, leading eco-friendly packaging initiatives that aligned with both regulatory standards and evolving consumer expectations.

Currently, as Head of Packaging Innovation and Digitalization at Dua Kelinci, Rais spearheads innovation through Digital Social Listening—a method of tracking consumer behavior via online posts, comments, live content, and viral trends to uncover emerging needs and preferences. By combining insight, creativity, and digital tools, he translates these findings into breakthrough packaging and product strategies that resonate deeply with consumers.

Ryan is a strategic leader at the intersection of design, data, and innovation. Trained as an Industrial Designer, he has continuously adapted, expanding his expertise into CX, UX, Service Design, and now Business Intelligence to drive commercial value. With experience across DBS Bank, Mandai Wildlife Group, SingHealth, and Yara, he’s known for connecting complex dots and transforming insights into scalable, human-centered solutions across industries

Based in Singapore, April has been an integral part of the company since early 2019, bringing her extensive research experience to the table. Prior to joining Human8 (formerly InSites Consulting), April honed her skills on the client side with Samsung, Fraser and Neave. In her role, April has led and managed numerous multi-market studies and online communities, with a particular focus on the banking and finance sectors. She is deeply passionate about research in the areas of finance and insurance, believing firmly in the power of good insights. April's dedication to her field is evident in the quality of her work and her commitment to driving meaningful change for clients. Outside of the office, April leads a vibrant and active lifestyle. She is a dedicated yoga practitioner who live and breathe in lululemon gear. April also has a soft spot for community cats, often spending her free time searching for them and giving them well-deserved tummy rubs. Her interests extend beyond wellness and animals, as she is also excited about the latest developments in data analytics techniques and most recently in cryptofinance.

Cindy Liew is a Service Design Director at Standard Chartered Bank, where she leads the design of AI-powered solutions for corporate banking. With a strong background in user experience design, she has worked across both in-house teams and global consultancies, bringing a unique blend of creativity, strategy, and execution to complex financial services. Cindy is passionate about applying service design to make technology more human, bridging the gap between cutting-edge AI and the real needs of clients and frontline teams.

Apeksha Lohia is AVP, Insights & Brand Strategy at Jigsaw, with over a decade of experience in qualitative research and brand strategy across FMCG, beauty, e-commerce, and financial services. She has been recognised with the HUL Insights Excellence Award (2024) and the Amazon Boxies Award for research that delivered real business outcomes. Passionate about bridging research and strategy, Apeksha focuses on turning cultural and consumer insights into narratives that strengthen brand trust and relevance.

Yoke Yuin is the Insights Lead for Asia Pacific at Ingredion Incorporated, where she leverages a broad spectrum of research methodologies to drive strategic decision-making across diverse markets. With a background spanning B2B data consulting in tech, retail data science, and consumer insights for FMCG sectors, she brings a cross-industry perspective to understanding evolving consumer behaviours. Her work includes both quantitative and qualitative research, and she has led the development of in-house capabilities. Passionate about building insight-driven cultures, she focuses on translating complex data into clear, actionable strategies.

Im an Experienced professional with 9 years of diverse expertise in CX, Service Design, UI/UX Design & Research, and Certified in UX by Nielsen Norman Group. Currently leading as the Head of Design & User Experience at BRI, where I collaborate with a talented team to drive design innovation and elevate customer-centric solutions. I thrive on creating customer-centric solutions that make a positive impact. Let's connect and collaborate on elevating digital experiences and delivering impactful results!

Fabian Khoshbakht is the Head of Treasury Service Asia Pacific (APAC) and, Global Head of Client Insight and Innovation at BNY. Client insight, innovation and business analytics are central to driving the BNY growth agenda across Treasury Services. Fabian drives the strategy and agenda for Treasury Services emerging digital technologies and Fintech partnerships, consulting with clients helping them to keep pace with industry change and developing a deep set of analytics to support these efforts. Fabian leads the sales, strategy, governance, for Treasury Services for BNY across APAC to continue the aspirational growth agenda for BNY. In addition, strengthening our core services such as payments, liquidity and trade finance to enable client growth and engagement is critical for the business. Both roles require a deep understanding of client buying behavior, industry trends, data analysis, consulting approaches and technology. Fabian has over 25 years of Treasury Services experience. Most recently, Fabian was the CFO and Treasurer for Caruso Real Estate. Prior to that Fabian started his career at ANZ in Australia before joining J.P. Morgan in Singapore and moving to the US where he has held roles in product, sales, and consulting. Fabian holds an MBA from Deakin University.

A multidisciplinary designer at the intersection of design leadership, product strategy and business impact - evolving UX from a surface-level function into a strategic driver of product, technology and business into the heart of organisations. Over a decade of hands-on experience across high-impact industries such as insurance, eCommerce, gifting, healthtech, entertainment, FMCG, print-on-demand sites - each shaping how I lead design to drive adoption, business value and user relevance. A strong believer of UX or design as a mindset - that’s capable of shaping business outcomes at scale.

Neha Jindal is an insights marketer with 18+ years of experience across Research, Analytics, UX, and Social Listening. She excels at integrating diverse data sources to craft clear, strategic narratives that drive business decisions. She has shaped go-to-market strategies for global product launches, repositioned brands for greater impact, and mentored high-performing cross-functional teams to drive results.

Ester Marchetti has 20 years of experience in the insights industry, spanning both client and agency sides. On the client side, she worked at Unilever and Reckitt, driving innovation by turning consumer insights into impactful strategies. With a deep understanding of how to bridge data with business needs, she has helped global FMCG brands unlock growth through smarter, faster decision-making. Now at Bolt Insight, Ester is at the forefront of revolutionising market research through AI-driven methodologies with BoltChatAI, which is redefining how brands engage with consumers to generate real-time, high-quality insights at scale. A passionate advocate for the intersection of AI and human understanding, she is shaping the future of insights by making research smarter, faster and more accessible.

Simon leverages his 15+ years of experience in digital transformation and fintech to build data infrastructure, BI systems, and data-driven operations for leading enterprises. He optimizes strategy, people, and organizations using data, aligned with data culture and technology maturity, to drive profit and growth.

Previously, he served as a consultant at IBM and Deloitte, delivering analytics projects for government and corporate clients. In 2012, he pioneered fintech in China, focusing on data intelligence for customer engagement and corporate data governance. At Baidu Finance (now Du Xiaoman Financial), he established the BI function and led the team in scaling assets to over ￥100B RMB using data technologies. In 2023, he joined Haier Consumer Finance to lead data transformation, doubling their branded personal financing services. Currently at Ksher Global (2025), he is developing China-SEA cross-border payments by integrating AI / data technologies with organizational change. A sought-after speaker, he shares insights on AI and big data at forums and universities in China and SEA.

Nina Pascual brings over 15 years of experience in driving Insights & Analytics for Fortune 300 companies such as FrieslandCampina, Unilever, YouTube, and Estee Lauder at global, regional, and local levels. With expertise from both agency and client-side roles, she excels as a measurement expert in Insight & Foresight, Innovation & Communication, Digital Marketing & Media, CRM & Performance – driven to turn insights into action. Nina is also dedicated to community service by mentoring startups, and by serving as a judge at the Insights250 Awards. Her educational background includes AI, Agile, an MBA, and an MSc in Industrial Economics.

Cherine has been a core part of the Human8 Singapore team since 2019. Her research journey began with a strong focus on quantitative projects. Still, her passion for human insights has driven her to explore qualitative methods as well, enhancing her ability to uncover the complexities of human thought and behaviour. Her interests lie particularly in the technology, retail, and experience sectors, where she excels at leveraging both online communities and traditional qualitative methods. Cherine's analytical mindset and innate curiosity empower her to help clients uncover their customers’ thought processes, feelings, and actions. She is dedicated to providing actionable insights that drive strategic decision-making for her clients. Beyond her professional endeavours, Cherine is passionate about sewing and recently completed a personal project—her very own wedding dress in addition to enjoying the flow state she experiences while sewing, she also loves listening to podcast series about true crime and world affairs

Tamanna Dhamija made the bold move from a successful career in Investment Management in New York City to entrepreneurship in Delhi. She founded Convosight, the world’s first insights-driven platform for community-based marketing. Under her leadership, Convosight has grown to serve over 130 major consumer brands in India and internationally. Convosight’s latest innovation, Convotrack, harnesses proprietary AI technology and vast social data to deliver actionable social intelligence, enabling brands to drive growth across digital channels.

Hendrik Van Hove is Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Conveo.ai, where he leads product strategy and development for the company’s AI-driven qualitative research platform. Prior to founding Conveo (backed by Y Combinator), Hendrik was a Consultant at McKinsey & Company, working on AI projects for global enterprises and leading market research and due diligence projects within the Private Equity and Principal Investors practice. His career combines deep expertise in AI applications with hands-on experience in market research and product innovation. Hendrik is passionate about building technology that empowers companies to understand consumers at scale and make confident decisions in days.

For Navendu Mishra, consumer insights aren’t just about numbers—they’re about stories waiting to be uncovered. With 10+ years in research and strategy, he has decoded what makes consumers tick across industries, leading over 250 projects that shaped product launches, brand positioning, and customer experiences. Currently at Internet Research Bureau, Navendu helps global enterprises bridge the gap between data and decisions, building insight engines that fuel growth. Whetherit’s through UX research, market mapping, or journey analysis, his passion lies in transforming complexity into clarity.

Starting her career in market research in 2007 as a fresh MBA graduate, Mukta Prakash built extensive experience with working for prominent firms like ICICI, Toluna, Pulse, and more. In 2012, she joined Internet Research Bureau (IRB), then an emerging player in the industry, and has since played a key role in its growth journey. From its early stages to its current success, she has contributed substantially to position IRB as a leading market research company.
Now serving as Director of APAC Sales, Mukta focuses on expanding market presence, driving client contentment, and delivering viable revenue growth across diverse markets.