Aura Rising Talent Q&A: Hannah Brown

The future of insight will be shaped by the people coming through it. In our new series with Aura, Zoe Fenn meets some of the brightest next-generation client-side talent to explore their journeys, the lessons they’re learning and where their careers might take them next. This time, we meet Hannah Brown, an Aura Best New Insight Talent finalist, whose story shows that there’s no single route into insight, and that the curiosity, listening and influencing skills you develop along the way can take you far beyond it.

Hannah can remember the exact moment she found out she was an Aura Best New Insight Talent finalist. “I was on the phone to my manager when the email popped up. My jaw dropped. I was so shocked.” It was a lovely moment after being nominated by her manager, but becoming a finalist felt “surreal”. The Aura award night event itself also gave her a chance to meet others across the industry and celebrate the work. “Sometimes I don’t feel like we celebrate enough,” she says.

Talking to Hannah, it is easy to see why she was recognised. She is curious, open, quick to credit the people around her, and embraces the fact that she is still learning.

You didn’t come into insight in a traditional way. How did you find your way here?

I didn’t set out thinking, “I’m going to work in insight.”

Earlier in my career I worked in a customer-facing role where I was the voice of the customer internally. I was listening to customers, understanding their experiences and translating that back into the business.

When the market research and insight role came up, it felt like a chance to apply those same skills on a much broader level. It wasn’t just understanding customers anymore, it was understanding the market and helping shape where the business wanted to go next.

Looking back, that earlier role set the foundations. It didn’t necessarily feel like research at the time, but taught me how to understand people, and that is still a huge part of what I do today.

What has supported you along the way?

Definitely the people around me.

I had an MRS mentor for the first time last year and that made a massive difference. When you’re new to a role, it’s easy to question whether you’re doing things the right way. Having someone experienced to soundboard ideas with, talk things through and learn from really helped my confidence.

I’ve also learned so much through Aura. The webinars and knowledge resources are brilliant when you’re starting out, and there is so much information and so many people you can learn from.

And honestly, having a manager who believes in you goes a massive way. Someone who gives you the autonomy to run with things, even when you don’t quite believe in yourself yet.

What have you found really rewarding?

Seeing insight become even more central to business decisions.

I’ve noticed we’re increasingly involved in commercial and strategic conversations alongside delivering research. I really like that because it means our skills are central to how the business operates.

We’re present in steering committee meetings. We’ve got a voice. People know the value we add and can see that research is fundamental to business decisions.

What’s been hard?

Confidence.

Because I’ve moved into new roles every year or two, I’ve had to learn quickly and adapt to different challenges. Sometimes that can make you question yourself, but it’s also given me a breadth of experience I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I’ve realised that is also what feeds me – learning is what keeps me growing.

What advice would you give to someone earlier in their career?

Take every first, even the uncomfortable ones, because you’ll learn so much.

And also, don’t dismiss roles that don’t look like insight or research on paper, because they are often the making of it. My past experience built the foundations for where I am now.

What’s next?

I’ve recently moved into a brand-new customer success role, which is exciting because I’m helping set it up from the ground up.

One of the biggest things the move has reinforced is that insight skills travel. Curiosity about people, listening well, turning feedback into action and influencing decisions aren’t skills that belong only in research.

They’re the same skills I’m drawing on in customer success every day, and it’s exciting to see them making a difference in a completely new role.