Episode 9: Sheila Akinnusi, Executive Head of Group Market Research at Nedbank - SOUTH AFRICA

In this episode of Insights from Elsewhere, we travel to South Africa to meet Sheila Akinnusi, the Executive Head of Group Market Research at Nedbank. Sheila has been redefining what it means to connect business decisions with deep human insight — in one of the world’s most diverse markets.Sheila shares how South Africa’s cultural richness, diversity, and expressiveness shape the insights landscape. With 12 official languages, distinct regional nuances, and vibrant traditions, understanding the South African consumer requires more than data — it demands empathy, curiosity, and cultural intelligence.Despite experimenting with the lates research technologies, like AI chatbots, metaverse studies, and synthetic panels, Sheila insists that human intuition still leads the way and qualitative research remains at the heart of insight.“AI can analyse at scale, but intuition and empathy are still our superpowers.” - Sheila Akinnusi, Nedbank - South Africa.Glaut is the only AI-native software designed specifically for Market Research Agencies. They pioneered “AIMI” (AI-moderated interviews), a new research method. With Glaut, you can design the study, collect data, and analyze everything using the Analysis Suite.The Insights from Elsewhere podcast is supported by: Glaut is the only AI-native software designed specifically for Market Research Agencies. We pioneered “AIMI” (AI-moderated interviews), a new research method. With Glaut, you can design the study, collect data, and analyze everything using the Analysis Suite.Find out more about Glaut.