Industry Research Briefing 2026

ADIA > Industry Research Briefing 2026

ADIA, Esomar, and The Research Society are excited to work together in 2026 to host this year’s Industry Research Briefing in Melbourne. Join us on Thursday, 12 February at The Commons in Cremorne, starting at 5:30pm.

The event brings together practitioners, suppliers, and legal experts to discuss key trends and share ideas. The program will cover what’s shaping brands in consumer research, how AI is changing our work and why human expertise still matters, and the ethical and governance risks business leaders should keep in mind as the industry evolves.

This is a great chance to reconnect with peers and friends, pick up practical insights, and stay informed about the challenges and opportunities your business may face in 2026. We hope you’ll join us to celebrate the new year and what lies ahead.

Program

6:00 – 6:15pm – Aliya Hasan, Head of Strategy, Nature.

6:15 – 6:30pm – Matilda Sarah, Co-founder & VP Sales and Marketing, Displayr

6:30 – 6:45pm – Andrew Maher, Partner, CIE Legal

6:45 – 7:00pm – Q&A facilitated by Sally Joubert, CEO, Luma Research

7:00pm onwards – Light refreshments served

Presentations

Truths and Tensions

Presented by Aliya Hasan, Head of Strategy – Nature

This presentation studies the current forces in play in consumer decision making.

Today’s world is a fascinating, yet perplexing mix of paradox and polarisation. As brands navigate this ever-shifting terrain, join us for an unapologetic reality check into the unspoken ‘Truths and Tensions of the Modern World’, where we’ll delve into the fascinating – and often contradictory – cultural forces shaping our world and what this means for brands today and into the future.

‘Truths and Tensions’ explore how Australians live, spend and connect. It exposes the gap between what people say they value and how they behave. Grounded in data and behavioural insight, it helps brands understand what is driving decisions and how to respond in a changing cultural landscape.

Aliya Hasan, Head of Strategy at strategic advisory firm, Nature. With 20+ years of diverse experience across brand, creative and media, her work is internationally recognised, including Cannes gold and multiple Effies. Nature has been awarded the Research Society’s Organisation of the year 2023, 2024 and 2025

From Tools to Thinking:
How AI Is Changing the Research Game

Presented by Matilda Sarah, Displayr

AI is changing research in a quieter but more practical way than many realise, it is reducing the effort required to get started, explore data, and produce first-pass outputs. Tasks that once depended on deep familiarity with tools and processes can now be accessed more easily through automation and natural language.

In this session, Matilda Sarah draws on lessons from building Displayr to examine what this shift means in practice.

She reflects on the move from a pre-AI world where expertise was closely tied to operating complex tools, to a post-AI environment where expertise is applied more in interpretation, review, and decision-making than in navigation.

Rather than a technology demo or trend forecast, the presentation offers a grounded view of the research industry’s current state of play. It focuses on how easier access to capability is changing client expectations, how teams can redesign workflows to make better use of expert judgment, and why human expertise remains critical – not despite AI, but because of it.

Matilda Sarah is the Co-Founder and VP of Sales and Marketing at Displayr, the company behind Displayr and Q Research Software. With a background in marketing, data science, and econometrics, she has spent over 20 years working with research and insights teams to improve how data is analyzed, interpreted, and turned into decisions.

The Biggest Risks to Business for Data,
Research and Insights Professionals

Presented by Andrew Maher, Partner, CIE Legal

As organisations use more data to guide their decisions, data and insights professionals face new risks. These risks come from changing rules, new technology, and human factors, all of which create challenges.

In this presentation, Andrew Maher, Partner at CIE Legal, focuses on three key areas that businesses must navigate to protect their assets, reputation, and stakeholders: privacy and data protection, AI, and psychosocial risks.

By proactively recognising and managing these ethical and governance risks, organisations can encourage innovation while protecting their people, customers, and reputation.

Andrew Maher is a founding Partner of CIE Legal and long-term legal advisor to industry /ADIA (and before that AMSRO). Andrew advises both domestic and global clients on all aspects of Australian workplace relations and advises members on a range of human resources law and privacy law issues. Andrew has also developed online Equal Opportunity, Harassment and Bullying training (and makes a cameo appearance in it) and a suite of HR law and privacy instructional videos which make workplace learning readily accessible, simple, and (almost!) fun. Andrew has been pivotal in the recent UWU – ADIA Enterprise Agreement negotiations.

ADIA members are encouraged to register below before 9th February 2026. (Pls note – ADIA will invoice upon receipt of registration.)