Judging panel

Josephine Foti

CEO Wallis Social Research l Vice President, ADIA Board.

Josephine is a passionate leader and researcher with nearly 25 years’ experience in the industry. The Chief Executive Officer and owner of Wallis, she works with all levels of the business to drive continuous improvement and industry best practice.
Josephine has a wealth of knowledge across a diverse range of industries and has been responsible for leading many high-profile, complex projects. She is particularly interested in research in the area of disadvantage and working with marginalised and vulnerable groups. An active participant in the advancement of the industry, Josephine has been an executive committee member for several years, including two years as Secretary. As Vice President, Josephine will continue to use her experience to ensure ADIA supports both members and the wider community – with research that remains useful, usable and accessible to all.

Darren Pennay

Founder and Former CEO - The Social Research Centre

Darren Pennay is the founder of the Social Research Centre and also co-founder of the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, where he is an Honorary Professor in the Practice of Survey Methodology. He is also an Adjunct Professor with the University of Queensland’s Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR). Darren formed the Social Research Centre in late 2000.

Darren was the first to introduce dual-frame telephone surveys to Australia (circa 2010) and, in 2015, established Australia’s first (and still only) probability-based online panel – Life in Australia^TM. In 2014 he was awarded the Research Industry Council of Australia’s Research Effectiveness Award for Innovation and Methodology, and in 2015 Darren was made a Fellow of The Research Society. In 2019 Darren was honoured by the Association of Market and Social Research Organisations (AMSRO) as the inaugural recipient of the Jayne Van Souwe Research Industry Leadership Award. Darren was also chair and lead author of the AMSRO/Statistical Society of Australia Inquiry into the Performance of the Opinion Polls at the 2019 Australian Federal Election.

Darren is a leading proponent of the Total Survey Error approach to survey research and a member of the American Association of Public Opinion Research, the World Association of Public Opinion Research and the European Survey Research Association.

Brian Fine

CEO Australia Online Research and Quality Online Research

With 40+ years in market and social research, Brian Fine is a leader and innovator in the research industry. Brian was one of the original pioneers of research in the online space within Australia, helping the business market and government bodies to understand the implications of developing technologies as well as working internally to develop quality online panels.

His experience is extensive and includes having been President of AMSRO, Australian ESOMAR representative for seven years, Chairman of STW Insights, founder of AMR Interactive and the ORU, Managing Director of JD Power Australia/NZ, Managing Director of Media Metrix Australia, Managing Director of Harris Interactive Australia and Chairman of Research Panel WA. He was also Chairman of AMSRS from 1993-96 and has been a Fellow of AMSRS since 1997.

Martin O'Shannessy

Partner, Omnipoll

Martin O’Shannessy is a research veteran and one of Australia’s most respected and well-known pollsters. Martin has advised Australian firms, associations and government organisations in hundreds of quantitative studies for Newspoll and IRIS Research. He has maintained a perfect record in opinion polling and has provided advice in some of Australia’s most high-profile, sensitive and controversial public affairs situations in recent years. He has held senior industry representative positions, including the Advertising Standards Council and the Joint Industry Committee for Radio Research during the 1980s and 1990s. Martin was president of AMSRO in 2009-12 and, prior to that, Vice-President in 2008.