Esomar appoints Barry Jennings as North America ambassador

AMSTERDAM — Esomar, the global community for data, research and insights, today announced the appointment of Barry Jennings to the newly created role of North America ambassador. 

Jennings brings more than 30 years of experience to his role. He will work closely with Esomar’s leadership and regional representatives to expand the organization's influence, membership and advocacy efforts across the United States and Canada.

 Jennings will draw upon his extensive industry tenure to guide Esomar’s strategic direction in the region. He will serve as a key voice for the organization, fostering deeper connections with corporate members and the broader insights community. His role focuses on elevating Esomar’s visibility and advocating for the profession at major industry events.

“Barry is a respected voice who understands the challenges researchers face on both the client and agency sides," said Rhiannon Bryant, chief strategy officer of Esomar. "Having someone with his background advocating for Esomar in North America is a huge win for our members. He is the ideal person to bring our community closer together.”

 Jennings brings a wealth of client-side experience to the position, having spent the last decade leading B2B research teams at Microsoft’s Research + Insights group. Most recently, he drove insights for Azure Cloud, AI and commercial business planning.

Before joining Microsoft, Jennings spent 18 years at Dell covering virtually every product category across consumer and B2B markets. He also headed market research and competitive intelligence at BlackBerry.

Jennings also built a foundation in international technology research on the supplier side at Kantar/Millward Brown/IntelliQuest, giving him a rare perspective that bridges both sides of the industry. 

He currently serves on the board of directors for the Insights Association and on the executive advisory board for the University of Wisconsin’s Marketing Leadership Institute.