CEO Series

The Greenbook Podcast Network

Step into the boardroom with Greenbook’s Lenny Murphy as he sits down with the trailblazing CEOs shaping the future of market research and insights. In each episode, you'll get rare access to unfiltered conversations about bold strategies, real-world challenges, and the innovations driving change across the industry. Whether you're an aspiring leader or a seasoned pro, this series delivers sharp takeaways, visionary thinking, and behind-the-scenes stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

  1. Nov 5

    Building an AI Operating System with Kay Iversen of HelloTwin.ai

    AI is moving beyond answering questions and completing tasks to fundamentally changing how businesses operate. In this episode of the CEO Series, Lenny Murphy sits down with Kay Iversen, CEO of HelloTwin.ai and former CEO and co-founder of Market Logic, to explore the shift toward AI-driven business operations. Kay shares how HelloTwin is helping small and mid-sized enterprises move from fragmented data and disconnected workflows to more autonomous, outcome-driven operations. They discuss the rise of always-on AI agents, the importance of data infrastructure and ontologies, and why organizational change management may be a bigger challenge than the technology itself. For insights professionals, the conversation raises an important question about the industry’s future: How can research move beyond delivering insights to become an integral part of business decisions and actions? Key Discussion Points From Insights to Action: Why insights professionals must move beyond delivering information to supporting business decisions and measurable outcomes.The Rise of Always-On AI Agents: How autonomous AI systems could transform organizational structures, workflows, and business productivity.Building AI Operating Systems: How HelloTwin uses ontologies to connect business data, applications, and AI agents within a unified operating model.Making AI Accessible to Mid-Sized Businesses: How simplified implementation, affordable pricing, and improved data quality can reduce barriers to AI adoption.Trust, Control, and Organizational Change: Why governance, reliable data, and human oversight are essential for successfully integrating autonomous AI into business operations. Resources & Links HelloTwin.ai You can reach out to Kay Iversen on LinkedIn. Many thanks to Kay Iversen for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

  2. Oct 22

    Statistical Rigor in Social Insights with askpolly’s Erin Kelly

    Social media conversations offer a wealth of consumer insights, but separating meaningful data from online noise requires more than traditional social listening. In this episode of the CEO Series, host Karen Lynch sits down with Erin Kelly, CEO of askpolly, to explore how the company is bringing statistical rigor to social media research. Erin explains how askpolly uses randomized sampling and AI to turn organic online conversations into measurable consumer insights, helping brands distinguish genuine sentiment from the loudest voices online. They discuss the company’s integration with Microsoft Copilot, real-world examples of brand controversies, and how faster, more accurate measurement could reshape market research. Erin also shares her experience raising venture capital, navigating challenges as a female founder, and building a product that serves both researchers and marketers. From overcoming startup hurdles to embracing new technologies, Erin offers valuable lessons for researchers and the next generation of industry leaders. Key Discussion Points Beyond social listening: How askpolly uses randomized sampling to generate statistically valid consumer insights from organic social media conversations.AI-powered research: How askpolly’s integration with Microsoft Copilot makes complex data analysis faster and more accessible to researchers and marketers.Separating noise from reality: Why viral backlash and negative social media sentiment don’t always reflect how a brand’s actual customers feel.Building and funding a startup: Erin’s experience developing askpolly, securing venture capital, and navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship as a female founder.The future of market research: Why speed, statistical accuracy, and the ability to measure real-world behavior will become increasingly important for demonstrating marketing effectiveness. Resources & Links ⁠askpolly You can reach out to Erin Kelly on LinkedIn. Many thanks to Erin Kelly for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

  3. Oct 8

    Making Behavioral Science Actionable with Melina Palmer of The Brainy Business

    What does it take to turn behavioral science into something businesses can actually use? Karen Lynch sits down with Melina Palmer, CEO of The Brainy Business, to explore her journey from marketing and entrepreneurship to becoming a leading voice in applied behavioral economics. Melina shares how The Brainy Business Podcast helped build her business, why storytelling works best when brands understand their role in the customer’s story, and how insights teams can embed behavioral science into everyday research rather than treat it as a last-minute tool. She also offers lessons for founders and leaders on knowing when to say yes—and when to say no. Looking ahead, Melina makes the case for keeping humans at the center as AI and technology reshape the insights industry. Key Discussion Points Turning behavioral science into action: How Melina translates academic research into practical approaches businesses and insights teams can use.Building a business through podcasting: How The Brainy Business Podcast grew into a platform for teaching, consulting, speaking, and writing.Rethinking storytelling: Why customers should be the hero—and how brands can determine whether their role is the mentor, sidekick, or “sword” in the story.Moving beyond behavioral science as a tool: Why concepts like social proof, framing, and anchoring should inform research and strategy from the beginning rather than being added at the end.Leadership, focus, and entrepreneurship: Why new founders can benefit from a “year of yes,” while established leaders need to get comfortable saying no, prioritizing, and avoiding productive procrastination. Resources & Links ⁠The Brainy BusinessWhat Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You by Melina PalmerWhat Your Employees Need and Can’t Tell You by Melina PalmerThe Truth About Pricing by Melina PalmerMelina Palmer’s TEDx Talk, There’s Nothing Magical About MondayThe Brainy Business Podcast You can reach out to Melina Palmer on LinkedIn. Many thanks to Melina Palmer for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

  4. Sep 24

    Angelique Taylor of AddMaple on Asking Better Questions

    What happens when a founder treats her own business idea like a research question? In this episode of the CEO Series, Karen Lynch speaks with Angelique Taylor, founder and CEO of AddMaple, about building a research technology company by testing assumptions, gathering evidence, and letting the product prove itself. That approach has paid off: AddMaple won both the 2026 Expert’s Choice and Audience Favorite Awards at IIEX North America. Angelique shares how her background in product ownership shaped AddMaple, why asking better questions can be as valuable as finding answers, and how she bootstrapped the platform before attracting major enterprise clients. They also discuss managing risk through small experiments, representation for female founders, and why empathy remains central to Angelique’s approach to product development and leadership. Key Discussion Points: Building AddMaple from a simple “what if?” — How Angelique’s frustration with slow, manual data analysis led to the idea of making complex research data immediately explorable.Replacing assumptions with questions — Why organizations can make better decisions when employees are empowered to interrogate data rather than simply accept static findings.Using experimentation to reduce founder risk — Angelique explains how small, manageable tests helped her validate demand before investing heavily in growth.Bootstrapping and finding product-market validation — From early free users to unsolicited enterprise interest and AddMaple’s 2026 Insight Innovation Competition win.Leading with empathy — Why Angelique approaches customers as people with goals and frustrations rather than prospects, and how that philosophy shapes AddMaple’s product development. Resources & Links AddMapleGreenbook Insight Innovation Competition You can reach out to Angelique Taylor on LinkedIn. Many thanks to Angelique Taylor for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

  5. Sep 10

    Human Insight in the Age of AI with Cristina de Balanzo of Accenture Song

    Cristina de Balanzo joins Lenny Murphy to explore what happens to human understanding as AI, automation, and synthetic approaches reshape the insights industry. Drawing on a career spanning sociology, advertising, neuroscience, Walnut Unlimited, and now Accenture Song, Cristina explains why emotion, judgment, and behavioral science remain critical even as research becomes faster and more scalable. The conversation examines how AI can help researchers go deeper rather than simply cheaper, where human expertise still creates differentiated value, and why organizations need a shared language for understanding people. Cristina also reflects on the ethical responsibilities that come with behavioral science and AI, arguing that intellectual honesty, multidisciplinary thinking, storytelling, and a strong moral compass will be essential for the next generation of insights leaders. Key Discussion Points Why emotion remains a fundamental driver of behavior, even as technology and research methodologies rapidly evolve.How Accenture Song is combining technology, creativity, behavioral science, and human understanding to deliver insight at scale.The difference between using AI to make research merely faster and cheaper versus using it to enable deeper thinking and stronger decision-making.Why human judgment, contextual understanding, and meaning-making become more valuable as intelligence and automation become increasingly accessible.Cristina’s lessons for researchers and entrepreneurs, including intellectual honesty, multidisciplinary thinking, storytelling, academic rigor, and using insight responsibly. Resources & Links Accenture Song You can reach out to Cristina de Balanzo on LinkedIn Many thanks to Cristina de Balanzo for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

  6. Aug 27

    Rob Key of Converseon: Making Unstructured Data AI-Ready

    As AI models become more powerful and increasingly commoditized, the real competitive advantage may lie in the quality and context of the data feeding them. In this episode of the CEO Series, Lenny Murphy speaks with Rob Key, founder and CEO of Converseon, about the growing importance of structuring unstructured data for AI and research. Rob explains why traditional sentiment analysis falls short, how context engineering can improve accuracy while reducing AI costs, and why brands need stronger governance around the data flowing into AI agents. They also explore the risks of AI-generated content contaminating future datasets, the evolving role of social and consumer intelligence platforms, and why domain-specific models could become critical infrastructure for enterprise AI. Key Discussion Points Why data quality matters more in the GenAI era: Rob explains how small inaccuracies in unstructured data can become significantly amplified when AI systems consume and reason across that information.Moving beyond basic sentiment analysis: The conversation explores entity- and aspect-level sentiment, attitudes, intensity, trust, and other dimensions that can provide a much richer view of consumer opinion.Context engineering as AI infrastructure: Rob argues that organizations need to structure data according to their own brands, industries, language, and definitions before passing it into general-purpose AI agents.The emerging AI ecosystem: Lenny and Rob discuss a future where frontier models provide foundational intelligence while smaller, purpose-built models, platforms, and agents create differentiation through specialized context and workflows.AI-generated content, trust, and ethics: They examine the growing challenge of AI-generated content training other AI systems, the importance of distinguishing meaningful human expression from automated noise, and the responsibility organizations have when influencing AI-generated perceptions. Resources and Links Converseon You can reach out to Rob Key on LinkedIn Many thanks to Rob Key for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

  7. Aug 13

    Sascha Eder of NewtonX on Trust in Synthetic Personas

    NewtonX CEO and co-founder Sascha Eder joins Karen Lynch on the CEO Series to discuss how strategic consulting and entrepreneurial resilience shaped his approach to leadership. Sascha explains why hiring, actionable feedback, mentorship, and cultural alignment are essential when scaling a company through uncertainty. He also shares NewtonX’s perspective on synthetic personas and their potential to support faster, always-on B2B research when used alongside primary data. Rather than treating synthetic research as a universal solution, Sascha emphasizes transparent methodologies, appropriate use cases, and evidence that builds researcher confidence. The conversation also explores AI’s rapidly evolving capabilities, the continued importance of human connection, and why the future of insights will depend on welcoming new technologies and professionals from diverse professional backgrounds. Key Discussion Points How Sascha’s background shaped his resilience, mental discipline, teamwork, and leadership style.The strategy skills he gained at McKinsey—and what he had to unlearn when moving from advising companies to building one.Why hiring quality, cultural alignment, regular feedback, and career development are critical to scaling and employee retention.How synthetic personas can complement primary research and enable faster, always-on decision support for B2B organizations.Why the future of insights depends on technological experimentation, methodological transparency, mentorship, and diverse professional backgrounds. Resources and Links NewtonX⁠IIEX West You can reach out to Sascha Eder on LinkedIn Many thanks to Sascha Eder for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.

  8. Jul 30

    Staying Relevant in the Age of AI with Aksel Bedikyan

    What makes a business, brand, or insights professional truly relevant in the age of AI? Aksel Bedikyan, founder of OhGee Insights, joins Lenny Murphy to explore how technology is reshaping research, brand relationships, and entrepreneurship. Drawing on a career spanning aerospace engineering, analytics, media, and consulting, Aksel explains why AI should strengthen human expertise rather than replace it. They discuss the growing importance of meaning-making, the tension between personalization and privacy, and the value of combining AI-moderated research with human interviews. Aksel also shares practical advice for entrepreneurs. Key Discussion Points How an engineering mindset shaped Aksel’s approach to research, analytics, and business problem-solving.Why relevance—not process—is becoming the defining source of value for brands and insights professionals.How AI can increase efficiency while giving researchers more time for interpretation, strategy, and meaning-making.The balance between personalized brand experiences, consumer convenience, privacy, and the risk of becoming intrusive.Why AI-moderated interviews and human-led qualitative research work best as complementary approaches.Aksel’s lessons for entrepreneurs on experimentation, generosity, relationships, and professional community. Resources and Links ⁠OhGee Insights You can reach out to Aksel Bedikyan on LinkedIn Many thanks to Aksel Bedikyan for being our guest.

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About

Step into the boardroom with Greenbook’s Lenny Murphy as he sits down with the trailblazing CEOs shaping the future of market research and insights. In each episode, you'll get rare access to unfiltered conversations about bold strategies, real-world challenges, and the innovations driving change across the industry. Whether you're an aspiring leader or a seasoned pro, this series delivers sharp takeaways, visionary thinking, and behind-the-scenes stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

Information

  • Creator
    The Greenbook Podcast Network
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 The Greenbook Podcast Network
  • Show Website
    CEO Series

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