I am pleased to present this February 2026 update to our members, stakeholders and more widely to the global insight community. This month marks a significant milestone in our global engagement strategy, particularly in advancing our presence across emerging and strategically important markets, as well as anchoring Esomar in its Member-Centric approach.
1. Landmark event in Africa
In February, we successfully delivered our first fully localised Esomar event in Nairobi, representing a historic step forward for our engagement in Africa.
This was not merely an extension of a global format, but a genuinely local event, designed with regional stakeholders, featuring African thought leaders, and focused on market realities specific to the continent. Attendance exceeded projections, and participation reflected a strong cross-section of research professionals, data strategists, brand leaders, and young talent from across Africa.
Nairobi now serves as a blueprint for future locally anchored initiatives in other African markets.
I would like to warmly thank the attendees, our sponsors and partners, our exhibitors, speakers, as well as the Esomar Team for this shared success. Congratulations!
2. Council Meeting – Strategic Alignment and Governance
Our February Council meeting was both forward-looking and operationally rigorous. The Council reviewed:
- The Transformation operated by Esomar to future-proof the organisation, with the creation of Steering groups working on Strategy 2030, Artificial Intelligence and Membership value.
- Financial performance and sustainability metrics.
- The North American market framework welcoming four new Representatives in the USA and two from Canada.
Governance discussions also focused on strengthening and ensuring balance in leadership participation.
3. Community Circle – Member-Centric Engagement
We held our 2nd dedicated Community Circle session exclusively for Members. The objective was direct dialogue – not presentation, but participation.
The session brilliantly moderated by Gabriela Küsters and Antonio Almeida focused on opportunities for peer collaboration (training, speaking at events,…). We were honoured to have Adrian Terron, Corporate Brand and Marketing Strategy at Tata Group, who is chairing the Programme Committee in Valencia at Congress 2026, explaining how submitted papers are selected according to Esomar high standards.
This initiative reinforces our commitment to moving beyond event-based interaction toward sustained professional community development. The Community Circle is held in the last Thursday of every month with each month held at a different time zone to reach new members live, but all recordings are available on-demand in MyEsomar. I encourage you to all log in to watch the last one.
As February came to an end, our initiatives demonstrated tangible progress across professional cohesion and member-centricity, and a good balance between locality and globality.
I thank Council members, Representatives, Ambassador, volunteers, partners, Esomar HQ and our growing community for their commitment to elevating the insights profession worldwide.
I am looking forward to seeing you in Rio, at Esomar Latam event (22nd to 24th March).
Warmest regards,
Anne Sophie Damelincourt
