We’re delighted to welcome Meghan Oliver to IFF with nearly two decades of experience spanning public policy, social impact, and market research. Meghan joins to head up our Community Team, which includes our Work & Welfare, Health & Wellbeing, Crime & Justice, and Housing sectors.
In this Q&A, Meghan shares what drew her to IFF, priorities for the months ahead, as well as thoughts on the evolving research landscape.
Welcome to the team, Meghan! Can you tell us a bit about your journey and what led you to join IFF and Team Community?
I’ve been in research and insight for almost two decades! I started off doing quite a broad range of stuff: financial services, competitor intelligence and FMCG work as well. Then I moved into more socially impactful work – its something I had always wanted to do more of. For me I think it’s the kind of thing that researchers want to do. So, I initially started being involved with more public policy, communications and reputation research. And that role then evolved over a number of years, eventually becoming more public policy focused – working with government regulators, third sector organisations and the private sector.
In terms of answering your question on what led me to join IFF, before when I was at Savanta, I was leading the teams that did more of the public policy and social impact work. IFF boasts a team of really talented researchers who engage in impactful and meaningful research of their own. And it’s a big focus. So, I wanted to be a part of that. Plus, it presented an opportunity for personal growth and development, as well as a chance to contribute to the growth of the Community Team.
Can you share a memorable project or achievement from your career that you’re particularly proud of?
One of the projects that repeatedly comes back to me is the range of work I did on access to cash.
It sought to understand people that rely on cash, why that is, and making sure that the UK cash infrastructure is fit for purpose. Recognising the decline in bank branches and that there’s a lot of people who might be unserved or underserved, (with some having characteristics of vulnerability), the project looked at new ways to serve those individuals. Making it work for both the third sector and private sector.
It’s even more important than ever as we see that more recently, there’s been an increased movement to towards using cash.
What’s one thing about you that might surprise your colleagues?
I guess I’m a big fan of early lunch. By early I mean I’m a 11:45am lunch eater. It’s a carry on from primary school, where that was our lunch time and no matter what – whether I have breakfast or not – that’s been ingrained into me that it’s ideal time to eat my midday meal!
What's your key priorities in the first 6 months?
I think first of all, any key priority when you join a new organisation to get to know all the individuals, and make sure that as it grows and develops, it reflects the people working in that team whilst meeting wider organisational priorities. That means hearing what people want; what they want to keep the same and what they want to progress.
I think the second is doing what we can to enhance ways of working, to free people up to unleash their talent at IFF. There are so many brilliant people and the work is so impactful. So, it’s about making sure they are supported to do their best work.
Finally, it’s also about supporting the team to take this great work to new clients and sectors. In summary, it’s about getting to know the team, supporting delivery and expanding out the work we do!
It's our 60th anniversary this year, which has got us thinking about how far we've come since 1965. How do you perceive the current state of the research industry, and where do you see it going in the next 60 years?
I think the industry is in an interesting place. When I first started in research, it was a bit like the “Wild West”. There was loads of loads of different, small agencies. People could do whatever they wanted – there was less structure, probably less policies etc. And what we’ve seen in the past five years or so, is the move towards bigger, consolidated agencies.
But I also think research has tried to challenge itself, in its policies and processes, to be more inclusive. Whilst I think we’re still a long way off, we’re at least starting to have those conversations. And this inclusivity applies to, not only to the people that comprise the workforce, but also in the way that we engage with respondents. There’s been a movement away from an extractive approach to seeing that things should be more participatory.
What I hoped to see for the next 60 years is us continuing to challenge ourselves in that regard. I think it’s also about figuring out what does the future of the workplace look like – how can it serve everyone? Whether that’s ways of working, whether that’s benefits. I think there’s going to be a lot of conversations that reflect the different generations we now see in the workplace, and people who have different expectations and needs too.
It was clear from the outset that your principles chimed with our 3 core values at IFF: being human first, impartiality and independence, and making a difference. When you’re working with the team, how will you make sure the company’s values are reflected in what we’re doing day-to-day?
What particularly attracted me to IFF was the human first value, which is really important to me and reflects some of the things I’ve already said. Being human first both within the team and the way that we engage with each other, but also in the way that we engage with respondents or participants is super important.
You do have to model all these values. You can’t hold other people accountable and expect it of them if you don’t do it yourself. From what I’ve seen thus far, I think the people here do that. There’s processes to enable it. But it’s also about supporting those processes. Finally, I think it’s important to be authentic and live those values in a way that feels authentic to oneself and the wider team.