Reading, Traveling, Singing, Theater
Aline Lahood
Hillsdale,NJ
Summary
Results-driven insights leader who turns consumer data into clear, compelling stories that help companies deeply understand customer needs and make more consumer-centric decisions. Combines strategic thinking with AI-powered tools to deliver faster, more efficient insights that accelerate decision-making and drive measurable impact. A highly collaborative manager who prioritizes teamwork and employee well-being, recognizing that strong, supported teams drive the best outcomes. Known for translating complex data into actionable narratives, enabling teams, and collaborating cross-functionally to improve outcomes and build high-performing, insight-driven cultures that fuel company growth.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Director Consumer Insights and UX Research
Colibri Group
Remote
11.2024 - Current
- Led the creation and growth of Colibri's centralized consumer insights team, streamlining research processes and empowering data-driven decisions across the organization.
- Strategically led team growth from 2 to 7 members in one year, significantly boosting research capacity and organizational impact.
- Unified VOC insights across 35+ brands and 6 professional verticals (Healthcare, Real Estate, Construction, Financial Services, Accounting, and Teaching), creating a single source of truth across the end-to-end customer journey.
- Streamlined customer experience insights by integrating 200+ surveys and 50 dashboards into 6 intuitive AI-driven dashboards, enabling stakeholders to easily interpret comprehensive brand performance.
- Executed insights-driven modifications in product pricing, messaging, and user experience, resulting in $4.5 million in incremental revenue.
- Implemented UX improvements and streamlined purchase processes, contributing to significant campaign success and revenue growth exceeding $2.8 million.
- Developed comprehensive in-house capabilities and AI-driven analysis tools, leading to a $300k+ reduction in research costs and expedited insight generation.
- Scaled research operations to support 500+ annual requests; expanded ad hoc studies from 6 to 75+ annually, significantly increasing adoption and business impact.
- Established self-service insights infrastructure and executive reporting, embedding insights into strategic decision-making and improving NPS/CSAT.
Research Consultant
Colibri Group
09.2020 - 10.2024
- Led marketing and product teams in formulating strategies to optimize product performance.
- Championed initiatives to accurately target key audiences.
- Drove efforts to cultivate new leads and enhance market share.
- Designed and implemented comprehensive quantitative research studies to derive actionable insights through effective survey design, programming, and data analysis.
Senior Market Research Manager
Wiley
Hoboken, NJ
03.2020 - 10.2024
- Built and managed internal panels across 4 business units, enabling faster, higher-quality, lower-cost research and saving $100K+
- Developed thought leadership program turning insights into whitepapers, media stories, and webinars that drove lead generation and increased brand awareness
- Led 10+ thought leadership studies (e.g., Academic Integrity, State of the Student, The Challenges of Higher Education, The Mental Health Landscape Post COVID, The Future of GenAI among instructors, students and researchers)
- Generated media coverage via PR outreach, including Inside Higher Ed, Forbes, Yahoo News, Fortune, LinkedIn Learning
- Drove strong LinkedIn engagement with thousands of shares and comments, boosting Wiley’s thought leadership presence
- Managed, trained, and developed an analyst supporting panel management and insights analysis
- Led consumer insights across multiple business units
- Facilitated cross-functional workshops to prioritize product, marketing, and strategy using research insights
Market Research Manager
Wiley
Hoboken, NJ
03.2014 - 03.2024
- Created and managed a Voice-of-the-Customer program to help teams enhance their sales, marketing and product strategies, by better understanding our customers experience during different stages of interacting with us.
- Manage and conduct quantitative research studies.
- Lead and conduct qualitative research, including virtual one-on-one interviews and focus groups.
- Worked with third-party vendors to manage and conduct research for different business units.
Adjunct Professor
Fordham University (The Gabelli School of Business)
Bronx, NY
08.2018 - 12.2019
- Taught a business course that all freshman are required to take called 'Ground Floor', that touched on all the different business disciplines.
- Worked with students to develop their own company, business plan and pitch to a panel of professionals at the end of the semester.
- Each year one winner had the opportunity to work with the University to further develop their business and possibly make it a reality.
Market Research Project Manager
About.com (IAC)
01.2010 - 01.2014
- Hired, supervised and managed 3 junior analysts
- Led ad effectiveness and syndicated research initiatives
- Built and managed a 4,000+ member consumer panel delivering insights for clients, agencies and internal stakeholders
- Designed and ran national consumer behavior and attitudinal studies across key categories (beauty, fashion, health, food, CPG, pharma, parenting, tech, finance, home improvement and travel)
- Moderated qualitative research including interviews, UX testing, and concept/video evaluations
- Presented findings to top clients and agencies to strengthen relationships
- Led custom research for product and editorial teams, including usability and concept testing
- Managed vendor relationships: Vizu, Nielsen, comScore, Dynamic Logic, Insight Express, Qualtrics, Kantar.
- Developed and delivered ongoing step-by-step training to in-house stakeholders on syndicated tools.
- Drove major sales wins by aligning advertiser goals with About’s key benefits (Disney, Spring, Clorox, P&G, DevTry).
- Managed and optimized third-party ad studies (Nielsen, comScore, Vizu) for top agencies and advertisers (i.e. MEC, Media Vest, Carat) and advertisers (i.e. Brita, Ford, Michelin, Pradaxa, Prilosec, Valspar, Perdue).
Senior Research Analyst
About.com (The New York Times)
01.2009 - 01.2010
- Increased ad sales revenue by creating custom demographic clusters using comScore MediaBuilder.
- Helped increase About’s brand awareness by working closely with the PR team to earn media coverage of consumer studies.
- Coverage appeared in the following publications: Media Post, ClickZ, Media Week, eMarketer, Cynopsis Digital, IAB SmartBrief, MediaBiz, Washington Post, Bloomberg.
- Put together profile sheets for ad sales team, so they have a consistent and compelling story to show clients.
Research Analyst
About.com (The New York Times)
01.2008 - 01.2009
- Created monthly comScore reports for the entire company, covering market and About.com traffic trends.
- Utilized syndicated research to respond to agency and client RFPs.
- Created reports and generated insights about who our audience is and why About is a good fit for advertisers.
- Managed brand awareness omnibus studies with Forrester Research and market norms studies with Dynamic Logic.
Research Analyst
The Arizona Republic (Gannet Corp)
05.2005 - 06.2007
- Got promoted from Research Assistant to Research Analyst within a year
- Developed and managed online panels.
- Developed and executed primary research including telephone studies, focus groups, polls and online surveys.
- Prepared monthly and market trends reports using third-party software.
- Used primary and secondary data sets to assess changes in the overall market and develop audience profiles.
Education
Master's - Marketing
Baruch (Zicklen School of Business)
New York, NY05-2012
Bachelor's - Psychology (minor in Buss Admin)
Saint Peter's College
Jersey City, NJ08-2003
Skills
- Advanced methodologies: factor analysis, driver analysis, cluster analysis, needs-based and demographic segmentation, persona development, sub-group analysis
- Qualitative research: open-ended coding, user testing, IDI, focus groups
- Study design & execution: concept and message testing, market assessment, competitive analysis, customer journey maps, Voice-of-Customer, product and website experience research
- Qualtrics, comScore, Nielsen, Vizu Ad Effectiveness, Insight Express (panel management), Q Software, Rybbon, SPSS (working knowledge), UserPilot
- Strategic planning, goal setting, and budget management
Research & Analytics Expertise
Tools & Platforms
Leadership & Collaboration Skills
- Program leadership, vendor, and contract management
- Team leadership, building, coaching, and mentoring
- Executive-level engagement and cross-functional collaboration
- Analytical and problem-solving
- Storytelling, communication, and translating insights into business impact
- Time management, prioritization, and organizational skills
- Conflict resolution and decision-making
Core Professional Skills
Certification
- Certification of Leadership - Seaton Hall University (2022)
- Qualtrics Research Core Certification (2017)
- Completion of Presentation Skills - Engage Now (2019)
- Tools and Techniques of Data Analysis Certificate - Burke Instituteof Technology (2018)
Interests
Timeline
Director Consumer Insights and UX Research
Colibri Group
11.2024 - Current
Research Consultant
Colibri Group
09.2020 - 10.2024
Senior Market Research Manager
Wiley
03.2020 - 10.2024
Adjunct Professor
Fordham University (The Gabelli School of Business)
08.2018 - 12.2019
Market Research Manager
Wiley
03.2014 - 03.2024
Market Research Project Manager
About.com (IAC)
01.2010 - 01.2014
Senior Research Analyst
About.com (The New York Times)
01.2009 - 01.2010
Research Analyst
About.com (The New York Times)
01.2008 - 01.2009
Research Analyst
The Arizona Republic (Gannet Corp)
05.2005 - 06.2007
Bachelor's - Psychology (minor in Buss Admin)
Saint Peter's College
Master's - Marketing
Baruch (Zicklen School of Business)