Michael Schiessl - CEO & Founder, eye square

Michael Schiessl is a psychologist and media scholar, as well as the founder of eye square. His company combines science, technology, and art to create successful and sustainable businesses in the digital age, at the intersection of AI.  

Focusing on the human experience, he draws on the mental systems of perception, emotion, cognition and the behaviour examining their measurability and quality in relation to the reality of desire. 

These concepts encompass and expand upon the perspectives of user, shopper, and brand experience research.

Jeff Bander - President & Chief Growth Architect, eye square 

Based in New York, Jeff Ephraim Bander is the President of eye square Inc. for the USA. Jeff (MBA) has been a thought leader in the market research world since 2008 and has gained over 25 years of experience with various research companies. 

Before coming to eye square he held the position of award-winning, President of North America at Sticky, a provider of online eye tracking studies. Jeff has been featured in AdAge, MediaPost and AdExchanger and has presented along big names such as P&G, Unilever and Colgate.  

Betsy Fitzgibbons - Senior Shopper Insights Digital Lead, Mars Snacking 

Betsy Fitzgibbons is a Shopper Insights professional with 20+ years' global experience in CPG. Her focus is driving future-facing retail strategies and identifying new opportunity spaces based on unearthing actionable insights. She has spent years pioneering new methodologies and tools, including the creation of Mars Digital Store Labs and exploration into Voice AI and Commerce.  

Betsy is known for crafting compelling narratives that resonate with stakeholders and customers, supporting business objectives and driving growth.  

She presented twice at ESOMAR in recent years, and at several other conferences on research, AI and Digital Commerce. 

Tracy Adams PhD, Senior Director Research & Insights, The ARF 

Tracy Adams, PhD, is Senior Director of Research & Insights at the ARF, where she leads the organization’s research agenda and advances industry-wide initiatives in advertising and marketing.  

With a background in sociology and cultural studies, she brings a critical, interdisciplinary lens to research in advertising and marketing. 

Paul Donato - Chief Research Officer, The ARF 

Paul Donato is the Chief Research Officer at ARF. 

A media and advertising research leader, he has over 20 years' experience, having co-founded WPP's Media Research Business Unit, served as CEO of Kantar Media, and been Technical Director of IBOPE Latin America, and was EVP and CRO for The Nielsen Company, overseeing Nielsen's retail, consumer, mobile, and media measurement methodologies. 

He has also led business units at Simmons and Audits and Surveys Worldwide.  

As well as leading the research team, Paul also plays an active role in overall ARF leadership, helping to guide its future direction.

Kara Louis - Global Agency Research & Insights Manager, Snapchat 

Kara Louis is Head of Global Agency Research at Snap Inc., where she decodes consumer behavior to help the world’s top brands and agencies build smarter media strategies. With 16+ years of experience in market research and data storytelling. 

Kara specializes in turning complex audience insights into clear, actionable trends across youth culture, ad formats, and creator strategy.  

Prior to Snap, she spent eight years at Twitter leading research and measurement for Fortune 500 partners across Retail, Travel, and Financial Services. Kara holds a dual degree in Marketing and Psychology from The College of New Jersey.  

Pamela Mars - PhD, Managing Director Primary Research, Omnicom Media 

Pamela Marsh is Managing Director of Primary Research at Omnicom Media, NA where she leads primary research for clients and agency thought leadership. Her research explores the trends shaping, and being shaped by, consumer behavior and the evolving media marketplace. Known for strategic storytelling, Pam turns insights into actionable recommendations that guide strategy and investment decisions.  

She has co-authored dozens of OM’s future-focused thought leadership studies. Pam has 30 years of experience in consumer and market research. She earned a Ph.D. in Communication from the University at Buffalo. Since 2025, Pam has served on the ARF’s Board of Trustees.

Kevin Soh - Director Primary Research, Omnicom Media 

Kevin Soh is a Director of Primary Research at Omnicom Media, where he helps lead and bring the agency’s thought leadership to life. With more than 15 years of experience, Kevin has worked across the full consumer journey, beginning in CPG product testing alongside food scientists and sensory researchers to branding, media, and marketing.  

His versatility across categories and industries, combined with an admittedly unhealthy obsession with staying current on consumer behavior and culture, informs the wide range of thought leadership he helps produce at Omnicom Media. 

Philipp Reiter - Partner & COO, eye square

Philipp Reiter is COO and partner at eye square. Specifically, he is a qualified psychologist and specialized in cognitive information processing and implicit research methodologies. Philipp is particularly concerned with the optimal implementation of innovative neuroscientific measures ranging from EEG, to EDA in User, Brand and Shopper research. At eye square Philipp especially takes care of our international clients.

His consulting expertise is frequently demonstrated on conferences and regularly published in magazines. Advances in statistical methods that help to understand complex data structures with Structural Equation Modeling and Machine Learning algorithms are of special interest for Philipp.

Being responsible for scientific cooperation with university partners like Humboldt University or Leibniz University of Hannover and to bring science and marketing research closer together is his motivation.

Philipp enjoys teaching Business and Marketing Psychology and at the BiTS campus in Berlin and the Design Academy Berlin.

Gareth Tuck - Partner & CSO, eye square

Gareth Tuck is Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at eye square and holds a degree in psychology.

He leads a team that conducts global advertising impact and shopper experience studies for clients in the FMCG, consumer electronics, and e-commerce sectors.

Kirsten Morehouse - Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University

Kirsten Morehouse is a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University. She earned her PhD in Psychology and Data Science from Harvard University, where she conducted her research under the supervision of Mahzarin Banaji, supported by the National Science Foundation.

Her doctoral research focused on understanding when and why implicit associations differ from factual evidence or consciously held beliefs. She explored topics such as the difficulty of associating all racial and ethnic groups with the concept of humanity and the persistence of gender stereotypes in professions, including surgery.

Beyond her work on implicit social cognition, Kirsten is interested in the opportunities and challenges associated with big data and artificial intelligence. Her research addresses questions surrounding data privacy, particularly the protection of research participants' anonymity in publicly available datasets, as well as methods for identifying and measuring social biases in generative AI.

Anna Fraize - Category Manager Omnichannel Insights & Activations, Mars

Anna Fraize serves as Category Manager, Dcommerce Insights & Activations at Mars, specializing in category management, digital commerce, and consumer insights. With extensive experience in the food and beverage industry, Anna brings a strong understanding of market dynamics, consumer trends, and strategic business development.

Throughout Anna’s career at Mars, they have held various positions spanning category analysis, digital merchandising, and strategic planning. Starting as a Category Management Analyst, Anna later moved into digital merchandising before taking on management roles in Category Strategy Digital and Category Strategy Digital & Main Aisle. These positions have strengthened their expertise in identifying market opportunities, shaping product strategies, and supporting digital commerce initiatives.

Before joining Mars, Anna gained experience in benefits analysis at CareFirst, working with healthcare benefits and insurance-related processes. Their professional background also includes a position as Territory Sales Manager at Mars, further expanding their experience in sales and commercial strategy.

Anna earned a Master of Business Administration from Mount St. Mary's University and a Bachelor's degree in English Communications and Technology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. This educational background complements their professional expertise in business strategy, communication, and technology.

Dr. Giulia Manca - Principal Research Consultant, eye square

Giulia Manca works as a Senior Research Consultant in the Brand and Media Experience Unit at eye square. After completing her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele in Milan, she earned her Master’s degree at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where she also wrote her doctoral thesis in Neuroscience. Her dissertation focused on eye movements and how the brain corrects systematic errors in oculomotor function. This scientific foundation has allowed her to gain deeper insights into the workings of human perception and attention, which is especially invaluable in market research.

Giulia is particularly interested in eye-tracking and research methods, especially in the field of quantitative research. Through her work in market research, she is able to interpret complex data from eye-tracking studies and other neuroscientific methods to generate valuable insights for brands and media. She is fascinated by how media experiences can be optimized through a better understanding of

attention and perception.

In this context, she emphasizes the importance of measuring implicit responses to capture authentic reactions and help brands and media create more engaging and effective content. Her expertise in market research allows her to bridge the gap between scientific research and practical applications, leading to innovative solutions for challenges in brand communication.