November 4, 2026 — Atlanta, GA — A decade after it first recognized the people driving inclusion in market research, Wire (Women in Research) today presented its tenth-annual Wire MRX Diversit

This year’s Gold award goes to Alessia Cavallini of Kantar. Natalia Infante, PhD, of Hola Insights receives the Silver award.

Gold award winner Alessia Cavallini is a Brand Engagement Manager at Kantar, Co-Lead of the Global Pride@Kantar ERG, and an LGBTQIA+ advocate and inclusion leader who believes belonging should be something people experience, not simply something organisations talk about. She came to this role after serving as the group’s External Partnerships Liaison, where she built relationships with LGBTQIA+ networks and organisations outside Kantar and brought new voices into the community. For three years she also co-led the Kantar DIVA Report, which paired research with lived experience to inform conversations about representation, safety, wellbeing and belonging. For Alessia, the project showed how data and human stories together can get people to stop, listen and think differently.

Her advocacy extends well beyond her own company. She has connected colleagues with causes including the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Galop UK and Rainbow Railroad, and has spoken at the Market Research Society Pride Show Up Insights Summit. She was named to the INvolve Outstanding Top 100 Future Leaders list in 2024 and 2025, won the 2026 DIVA LGBTQIA+ Network Champion Award, and was nominated for the Positive Role Model Award for LGBT at the 2026 National Diversity Awards.

Recognition, though, has never been the goal. For Alessia, visibility is personal: seeing someone authentically occupy a space can help another person believe there is room for them there too. Through speaking, advocacy and sharing her own story, she hopes to give others the confidence to participate, lead and simply be themselves, one connection, one conversation and one person at a time.

This year’s Silver award winner Natalia Infante, Ph.D., is a Latina entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of Hola Insights, a market research firm specializing in multicultural audiences, particularly U.S. Hispanic consumers. Born and raised in Paraguay and having lived in the U.S. for more than three decades, Natalia brings a perspective shaped by her experiences across cultures and communities. Before founding Hola Insights, Natalia taught multiculturalism, Spanish language, and cultures at multiple universities.

Throughout her career, Natalia has championed cultural understanding and greater representation within the insights industry. Through her conference presentations and published articles, she has highlighted the influence and diversity of Hispanic consumers, challenging assumptions and encouraging organizations to look beyond demographics to better understand the individuals and cultures behind them. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) from 2022 to 2024 and chaired its first Latin American Conference.

Beyond her professional achievements, Natalia has dedicated time to mentoring young women pursuing higher education and an insights career, serving on nonprofit Boards supporting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Her community involvement reflects her belief in empowering others and creating opportunities for individuals from different backgrounds to thrive.

Her contributions have been recognized through the 2023 GreenBook Future List, the Insights Association's 2024 Pillars of Progress recognition, and the 2026 Forbes Riley Heartfelt Hero Award. For Natalia, championing diversity means ensuring that different voices and perspectives are heard, understood, and valued. She believes the insights industry is stronger when it reflects the diversity of the communities it seeks to understand.

“A stronger market research industry starts with embracing diverse perspectives, creating opportunities, and recognizing those who are making a difference,” said Tiffany Hays, Award Sponsor and CEO of FUEL and The Focus Room. “The Wire MRX Diversity Champion Award celebrates the people turning that commitment into meaningful action. At FUEL + The Focus Room, we’re proud to support an initiative that recognizes progress, elevates voices across our industry, and helps build a more inclusive future for market research. We’re honored to stand alongside Wire in celebrating the champions moving our industry forward.”

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About Wire
Wire is a global non-profit that champions diversity in the marketing research industry, supporting events and educational programming across five continents. Wire programming facilitates leadership, entrepreneurship, mentoring and other career development goals. Wire’s mission is to foster inclusion and advance the contributions and voice of women and other marginalized groups in research, both for themselves and the greater good of the market research industry. wearewire.org
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About FUEL + Focus Room
FUEL + The Focus Room delivers global front-to-back recruiting and fieldwork management for all your online and in-person qualitative and quantitative research needs. From U.S. nationwide qualitative recruiting to management of international multi-country studies, our consultative and powerful team is equipped to handle it all. Backed by a worldwide network of heavily vetted teams and 24/7 support, we mobilize moderators, recruiters, data experts, facilities, translators, and more—delivering dependable research that empowers clients to make decisions with clarity and confidence. fuelyourworld.com | focusroom.com
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About Esomar
Esomar is the global voice of the data, research and insights community. Since 1947 Esomar’s aim has been to promote the value of data, research, and insights in effective decision-making.

Esomar facilitates an on-going dialogue with its 5,500+ individual members, 500+ corporate members and 40,000+ community in over 130 countries, through the promotion of a comprehensive programme of industry specific and thematic conferences, publications and best practice guidelines. Esomar also provides ethical guidance and actively promotes self-regulation in partnership with a number of associations across the globe.

All Esomar members, as well as their company contact details, are listed in the Esomar Members search. Members agree to abide by the ICC/EsomarInternational Code on Market and Social Research, which has been jointly drafted by Esomarand the International Chamber of Commerce and is endorsed by the major national and international professional bodies around the world. esomar.org

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Media Contact:

Jessica Sage, Executive Director, Wire

jessica@wearewire.org