Myrna Grol

Senior Consumer Insights and Strategy leader with 20+ years of international experience across global client-side organisations, research agencies and freelance assignments. My career spans Consumer Insights, Marketing Strategy, Innovation and Team Leadership, with a consistent focus on translating deep consumer understanding into strategic direction, innovation and sustainable business growth. I bring extensive experience in shaping and leading global insights programmes across the full innovation and marketing journey - from identifying emerging needs and growth opportunities to proposition development, portfolio strategy, product and concept validation, brand positioning and go-to-market optimisation.

By connecting qualitative and quantitative research with market, shopper and business data, I turn complexity into clear narratives and actionable recommendations that enable better-informed, consumer-centric decisions. I have partnered closely with senior leaders and multidisciplinary teams across Marketing, R&D, Design, Strategy and Commercial functions. As a former Global Head of Consumer & Market Insights, I have built and developed international teams, strengthened insights capabilities and created environments in which people feel trusted, valued and able to contribute at their best.

Alongside my corporate career, I have invested extensively in coaching, leadership development and behavioural change, enabling me to combine strategic and commercial insight with a deep understanding of people, teams and organisational dynamics.

Planned Career Break at Self-directed (2026-01 – Present)

Taking intentional time to travel, reflect and define where I want to apply my experience, leadership and energy in the next phase of my career.

Senior Global Consumer Proposition & Insights Manager - Beauty at Philips (2025-01 – 2026-01)

Freelance position

• Shaped go-to-market strategy for Philips Lumea IPL across packaging, pricing and communication, while building the consumer understanding required to guide the next generation of innovation.
• Embedded consumer insight throughout the innovation journey, from opportunity identification and value proposition development to product, concept and claims validation.
• Applied GenAI-enabled approaches to support proposition development, concept creation, synthetic persona testing and knowledge management.

Senior Consumer Insights & User Experience Manager - Shaving at Philips (2023-01 – 2025-01)

Freelance position

• Led consumer research and claims substantiation for the Philips i9000 Prestige Ultra, integrating consumer insight, technical validation and legal requirements into a robust evidence base for product and communication claims.
• Partnered closely with R&D, Design, Marketing and Legal to embed consumer understanding into product, proposition and design decisions throughout the innovation journey.
• Influenced senior stakeholders by translating complex evidence and consumer insights into clear recommendations that shaped product development, proposition design and consumer communication.

Senior Global Consumer Insights & Strategy Manager at Versuni (2021-01 – 2023-01)

Freelance position

• Led global consumer proposition and insights activities for the Kitchen Appliances category, translating consumer needs, market opportunities and multiple data sources into innovation opportunities and strategic business recommendations.
• Partnered with Marketing and cross-functional teams to shape positioning, communication, pricing, portfolio and go-to-market decisions through consumer and shopper understanding.
• Designed and facilitated cross-functional workshops that connected consumer needs, commercial objectives and innovation opportunities, enabling aligned and actionable decision-making.

Global Head of Consumer & Market Insights - Domestic Appliances at Philips (2016-01 – 2020-01)

• Led the global Consumer & Market Insights function across Kitchen Appliances, Floor Care, Coffee, Garment Care and Air, providing strategic consumer, shopper and market intelligence to senior business leaders.
• Built, coached and developed an international team of 10 professionals across Consumer Insights, Analytics and Market Data in the Netherlands and China.
• Embedded consumer and market understanding into innovation strategy, brand development, portfolio choices and go-to-market decision-making.
• Transformed the insights function by introducing more agile ways of working, innovative methodologies and new capabilities, enabling faster, higher-quality and more cost-effective insight generation.
• Strengthened the strategic influence of the insights team by connecting consumer understanding more closely to business priorities and senior decision-making.

Senior Consumer Insights Manager - Kitchen Appliances at Philips (2010-01 – 2016-01)

• Held global responsibility for Consumer Intelligence across the Kitchen Appliances category, shaping consumer-led innovation and category strategy across international markets.
• Played a key insights role in the development and successful launch of the Philips Airfryer, one of the company's most iconic innovations.
• Led global insights programmes across markets including Brazil, Russia, India and China, translating cultural and consumer differences into actionable innovation and business decisions.
• Partnered with Marketing, R&D and Design to shape propositions, positioning, communication and portfolio strategy through deep consumer and shopper understanding.

Works Council Member (OR) at Philips Consumer Lifestyle HQ (2013-01 – 2016-01)

Part-time position

• Represented employee interests and contributed to senior-level discussions on organisational change, restructuring and employee-related policies.

Senior Consumer Insights Manager - Floor Care at Philips (2006-01 – 2010-01)

• Held global responsibility for Consumer Intelligence across the Floor Care category, leading insight programmes that supported the development and launch of new product categories, including robotic vacuum cleaners, cordless stick vacuums and bagless technology.
• Embedded consumer and shopper understanding into product development, brand positioning, communication and global marketing strategy.
• Owned the annual insights roadmap and research budget across innovation, concept development, positioning and shopper understanding.
• Facilitated workshops and cross-functional collaboration to translate insights into action.

Global Qualitative Research Consultant at Millward Brown (1999-01 – 2006-01)

• Managed international qualitative research programmes for leading FMCG and consumer brands, from proposal development and research design to moderation, analysis, reporting and senior client presentations.
• Advised clients on brand positioning, communication, innovation and consumer behaviour, translating qualitative understanding into clear strategic recommendations.

Master Coach & Coach Practitioner in Coaching – De Baak (2020-01 – 2023-01)

Trainer, Master Practitioner & Practitioner in NLP – NLP Academie (2018-01 – 2021-01)

MSc in Business Administration – University of Groningen (1990-01 – 1996-01)

Exchange Programme in Economics & Marketing – Universitat de Barcelona (1995-01 – 1996-01)