5 lessons for building an impactful career in Insights

Career paths are rarely linear for professionals in Insights. The discipline spans multiple domains, from analytics and strategy to foresight, storytelling, and innovation, reflecting its inherently multidisciplinary nature. This was echoed by WFA Insight Forum members, who described careers shaped by lateral moves, hybrid roles and constant adaptation to business change.

Over the last months, more than 60 senior Insights leads from over 40 WFA member companies came together to reflect on how to grow and evolve in this discipline. The two-part mini-series on Insights Career Management explored how professionals can reach their full potential, elevating themselves, their teams and the function, and shaping how insights are embedded more broadly across the business ecosystem.

The five key takeaways are:

1. The role of Insights remains varied, creating structural tension

Participants reaffirmed their passion for Insights, a discipline that influences strategy, shapes decisions and gives consumers a voice in business. Yet beneath this shared purpose, a common tension emerged: the role of Insights varies widely across organisations, often leading to differing expectations around focus and priorities. Are teams expected to deliver data, foresight or strategy?

Such variation leaves professionals stretched thin, balancing competing priorities without always being able to focus on high-impact work. More fundamentally, it raises a central challenge: how can Insights be recognised not merely as a support function, but as a driver of strategic decision-making and growth?

2. Growth at senior level comes from discomfort and self-definition

For senior leaders, the question is less about climbing ever upwards, and more about how to keep growing when the ladder runs out of rungs. Career progression at this level is rarely linear. Leaders described moments of discomfort and detours, stretch assignments in commercial or operational roles, transformation initiatives, or sideways moves that strengthened their ability to connect the dots across the business.

These experiences built resilience, perspective, influence and visibility beyond the immediate team. As one participant put it: “Growth doesn’t happen in the safety of your expertise, it happens when you say yes to the uncomfortable.”

Another strong theme was identity. Leadership requires clarity, a “North Star” that defines who you are, what you stand for and the value you bring. As one participant advised: “Write the speech you would want your manager to give about you when you leave and then work backwards from there.” Leadership is not about self-promotion but about intentionality, shaping your own narrative and driving your own career before someone else does.

A recurring question across both sessions was what defines success. For many, it is no longer hierarchy but impact — making a difference in whatever area of the business they focus on.

WFA Insight Forum at Global Marketer Week in Brussels, March 2025

3. Rising talent seeks visibility, sponsorship and credibility

For rising stars, ambitions centre on visibility, sponsorship and credibility. Participants described the tension between “doing” and “leading”, often pulled in many directions and uncertain about career progression. Many voiced feeling “stretched too thin”, delivering at 70% on everything and 100% on nothing.

The group mentoring session highlighted the challenges of influencing without authority, navigating organisational ambiguity, and finding sponsors for Insights, yet the overall mindset remained optimistic. Senior mentors urged participants not to wait for perfect timing: “Don’t wait for permission. Put your hand up. Volunteer for the unknown. Let your ambition be visible.”

4. Storytelling and purpose connect every stage of the journey

Despite differences between senior and emerging talent, both groups shared common themes. Everyone emphasised the need to demonstrate the strategic value of Insights, not merely deliver analysis. What matters is the the power of storytelling, framing insights as business stories that inspire action.

A shared reminder echoed across the sessions: growth is rarely about climbing a ladder; it is about designing a path aligned with one’s values, strengths and impact. Success, in this sense, is less about hierarchy and more about staying true to purpose while navigating change.

5. The next wave of leadership needs support, structure and community

The discussions showed that the Insights leadership pipeline is full of talent and ambition, but it needs nurturing. Organisations can help by:

• Creating stretch roles that give visibility beyond the immediate team or function
• Building sponsorship and mentorship structures that provide both safety and opportunity
• Equipping professionals with commercial fluency to link insights to business outcomes
• Recognising that leadership paths may be sideways or diagonal, not only upwards

For senior leaders, there is a responsibility to remove structural barriers and invest in the next generation. For rising stars, the challenge is to stay connected to their “why” before the climb makes them lose sight of it. As Valerie Chevalier, Corporate, Global Brands and Sustainability Insights Lead, PepsiCo, put it: “As your career advances, leadership skills become not just valuable but essential. Developing them requires deliberate time and effort. Personal development is essential but not sufficient. Engaging with mentors can broaden your perspectives, and cultivating relationships with your sponsors can be a game-changer — propelling you into the next phase of your professional evolution.”

Beyond the individual stories, these sessions reinforced the importance of community. By bringing together rising stars and seasoned leaders, the Insights Career Management mini-series showed that while progression may be ambiguous and rarely linear, it need not be navigated alone. As Joel Renkema, Chair of the WFA Insight Forum and Global Head of Insights, Inter IKEA Group, summarised: “It’s very hard to have a successful career alone, and much less fun! I’m so thankful to have this community of insights professionals with varying experiences and perspectives to help navigate and support each other.”

Continue the conversation

WFA’s Insight Forum is a global, senior, client-only community bringing together more than 700 insights leaders who deliver value to their organisations. Its agenda is shaped entirely by members’ priorities, ensuring that the themes explored reflect the real challenges and ambitions of the community.

Join us at our upcoming meetings:
New York, 20 Nov 2025 – strengthening the Insights function
Mumbai, 3 Feb 2026 – Forum Connect returns to APAC
Stockholm, 22–24 April 2026 – Global Marketer Week, WFA’s flagship event