Meet Our Strategic Partners

Before founding Halpern Research in 2019, Cheryl was a principal at The Dallas Marketing Group, where she designed, managed and executed qualitative and quantitative research projects for a diverse array of clients including Eyemart Express, Jack Black, Academic Health Plans, Quaker, Frito-Lay, Tropicana, Youngevity, Creative Memories and TCU.

Her commitment to developing actionable insights for clients is driven by her years serving as Vice President of Global Product Marketing at Mary Kay, Inc., where she spearheaded the development and launch of over 1,000 new products, fueling company sales growth from $250 million to over $1 billion annually.

Cheryl’s qualitative style is engaging, energetic and empathetic. She respects respondents and lets them know that their candid, thoughtful input is sincerely valued.

Language and Country Specializations
English, United States

Industry Specializations
CPG, HBA, direct sales, retail, higher education, non-profit, sports, entertainment

Type of Work Specialized In
Branding, new product development, concept/product evaluation, positioning, branding, shopper experience, loyalty programs, marketing strategy, attitude, awareness, usage, packaging, promotional offers/displays

Technique Specialization
Full range of online and in-person qualitative methodologies, including focus groups, IDIs, online bulletin boards, online chat, Webcam interviews, shop-alongs, qual/quant hybrids

Interests and Hobbies
Cheryl is an avid tennis player and competes in several leagues. In March 2019, she launched the Dallas location of Buddy Up Tennis, a non-profit organization that provides ongoing fitness and tennis clinics for kids and adults with Down syndrome.

From discovering meaningful consumer insights to developing behavior change strategies, Klaudia has had a breadth of leadership roles at top advertising agencies and now owns her own research and strategy firm. Over her 34-year career, she has held roles in agency leadership, account service, strategy, consumer research (both quant and qual), and media planning across a variety of major brands including Walmart, Southwest Airlines, Nestle, Edwards Lifesciences, and many more. In the last decade she has developed specialized experience in the healthcare industry and public behavior change for programs such as ClickItorTicket and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic.

Klaudia believes in the power of both quantitative and qualitative research, but relishes opportunities to engage in qual to understand the nuances of behavior, perceptions, and compelling messaging. She has done qual at every stage, from future-forward product development to creative concept evaluations. Her approach is simple – no matter the forum, listen and ask compelling questions. Getting below the layers to the truths of motivation takes asking questions in different ways. Because many of her projects include changing daily, life-long behaviors, the motivations and barriers are often deeply buried and, like a treasure, need to be dug up and brought to the surface. Klaudia really is most jazzed about insight discovery and turning those into successful action plans for her clients. “Insights are cool, but if they don’t change behaviors, who cares?”

Although her only language is English, Klaudia does qual research all over the world including working in partnership with in-market moderators in Japan and China.

Klaudia has worked on almost every topic imaginable but is particularly well versed in retail, services, healthcare, and public safety behavior change.

Klaudia loves tennis, yoga and living the urban downtown life now that her fabulous children are grown.

This balance has led to long-term relationships with industry leaders who trust her to be the primary gateway to coveted business executives and healthcare professionals. At the same time, this unique demeanor allows remarkably effective discussions with respondents coping with challenging life circumstances and even young adults.

Linda strives to be more than a moderator. She often participates in composing interview stimuli such as concept statements or service descriptions. And when all is said and done, she strives to bring insights and recommendations to heighten the impact of the research. In fact, this passion for providing superior client support has become the founding principle that has allowed her firm to flourish for over 20 years.

Linda brings an unparalleled work ethic to every assignment. She begins by immersing herself in the subject matter and meticulously prepares her moderation approach. This invariably pays off with interviews that feel conversational and even satisfying to respondents. C-suite executives often compliment her approach at the conclusion of in-depth discussions—even those that involved largely structured questioning. And clients often comment that Linda has the natural ability to bring discussions to a deeper level.

Her passion for moderation took root early in her career as a research team leader in a major multinational company. Put simply, she believed that qualitative tools and techniques lacked impact, so she took it upon herself to become the company’s primary moderator. The results were a huge success, and this experience convinced her to commit to qualitative work full-time.

Like so many leading moderators, she has tackled virtually every major product and service category. Even so, her main areas of focus are fintech, healthcare, technology, consumer electronics and business services.

She holds a BA in experimental psychology and an MBA in finance and marketing.

Before founding Veritas Insights in 2012, Rachel was a Research Manager at Harris Interactive, where she supported U.S. and global teams in delivering laser-focused qualitative research to enhance the marketing and advertising efforts of some of the world’s top brands. She frequently collaborates on projects with companies such as AstraZeneca, Coca Cola, Dunkin Donuts, Google, Johnson & Johnson, NBC, and many others, both small and large. No matter what the size of the company, she delivers world-class insights and actionable results to help her clients understand their customer needs, desires and drivers.

Rachel’s qualitative style focuses on friendliness and authenticity. She instantly connects with respondents, making them feel at ease and comfortable in sharing their experiences, thoughts and feelings. She goes beyond the surface, uncovering insights beyond the conscious, rational thought and into the emotional realm, where most consumer decisions are actually made. She regularly draws from her background in psychology and anthropology (BA, MA) to ensure her clients get a deep, contextual understanding of their customers.

Language and Country Specializations
English, Spanish, U.S. and Global Oversight

Industry Specializations
Pharma, CPG, Entertainment and Media, Healthcare

Type of Work Specialized In
Exploratory landscape, new product development, concept/product evaluation, branding, brand positioning and strategy, consumer journey, and packaging

Technique Specialization Full range of online and in-person qualitative methodologies, including focus groups, IDIs, online bulletin boards, phone and webcam interviews, ethnographies, usability, shop-alongs, and pre- and post-quant

Interests and Hobbies Rachel is a yoga and meditation teacher and a fitness enthusiast.

Marta has a proven track record advising Top 100 clients, having conducted 3,500+ insights and strategy sessions. She helps clients leverage the Hispanic opportunity through deep experience across most major industries and the complex Hispanic segment dimensions.

xpertise in marketing and advertising strategy; Marta was the lead account manager for several Procter & Gamble accounts spanning several years at Bromley Communications (the largest Hispanic agency at the time); Served as Marketing and Advertising Director at Guerra DeBerry Coody, overseeing Creative and Account Services.

M.S. in Creativity; As one of the only market research veterans with a Master’s in Creative Studies, she publishes and speaks in various industry organizations about uncovering the unconscious emotional drivers in consumers.

NuThinking, Inc. is ESBE, HABE, MBE, SBE, WBE, and HUB certified.

Qualitative Style
Marta uses a research approach grounded in cultural understanding, which digs deep into values and beliefs, enabling relevant strategies and motivating your target to action.

She is committed to award-winning service time and time again. Marta’s tireless professionalism, creativity, and friendliness saw her receiving the 2015 Qualitative Research Consultants Maryanne Pflug Spirit Award.

Language and Country Specializations
English, United States
Spanish, United States and Latin America

Industry Specializations
CPG, Retail, Healthcare, Food/Beverage, Advertising/Communications, New Products and Services, QSR, Hispanic Market Research

Work Specialization
Trusted expert for: advertising/communications development, cultural strategy, brand evaluation, ideation, new products innovation, creative exploratory, positioning strategies, marketing strategy, brainstorming sessions, consumer exploratory, packaging evaluation, concept/product development/evaluation, branding, shopper insights/retail strategy, user experience, and creative problem-solving workshops.

Techniques Specialization With customized techniques grounded in creative thinking, Marta empowers respondents to provide richer responses. Her adept use of creativity models uncovers new thinking that leads to breakthrough strategies.
Facilitate groups to uncover breakthrough ideas using the Creative Problem-Solving process which has a proven track record with companies like Coke, Disney, MIT, L’Oreal, Kraft, Google among others.
Experience with most online and in-person methodologies: shop-alongs, ethnographies, focus groups (from small to maxi groups), IDIs, online bulletin boards, online chat, webcam interviews, and many others.

Interests and Hobbies
Marta is an avid reader with a passion for sharing knowledge. She has helped the market research industry move forward through presenting widely across various organizations (Quirks, QRCA, Dallas AMA, SWMRA, MSMR). She has served the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) in many roles, including chairing the Latino, Creativity/Innovation, and Business Development Special Interest groups. She co-chaired the first all-virtual 2021 QRCA conference.

He started his career in 1996 and worked for 5 years in premium hotels before becoming a qualitative researcher. That experience taught him good etiquette and skills in communicating with different consumers. As the Director of International Business at Hycon Research, Ricky is now leading his research team to serve Fortune 500 companies and large Chinese businesses in various industries.

Ricky has extensive experience in a wide range of sectors, including FMCG, home appliance, luxury goods and services, hotels, IT, healthcare, and automotive. He is proficient in diverse qualitative research techniques and methodologies (FGDs, in-depth interviews, ethnographies, etc.). In addition, he is also skilled in using online platforms (bulletin boards, online chat groups, webcams, large-scale qualitative, etc.) to fit to different research objectives and consumer needs.

Ricky is flexible in both traditional and innovative research tools and specializes in usage & attitude research, brand positioning studies, usability tests, product/concept evaluations, helping companies with consumer insights and strategic suggestions.

Ricky is based in Shanghai and can cover qualitative work throughout China. As a native Chinese, he has strong bilingual abilities (Chinese and English), which enables him to communicate directly with international clients.

In addition to staying busy with work, he also enjoys watching movies and traveling. He is fascinated with various styles of architecture and loves to learn about history and culture all over the world.