Amber Laurel
Los Gatos,CA
Summary
Innovative consumer insights and UX research leader with 15+ years of experience driving global research and analytics strategies that shape product innovation, user experience, and business performance. Trusted advisor to senior leadership with deep expertise in mixed-method research, AI-integrated analytics, and growth strategy across tech, retail, and purpose-driven sectors.
Proven success leading high-impact, end-to-end research—from segmentation to brand tracking, UX, and growth experimentation—while partnering cross-functionally with product, marketing, design, and data teams. Adept at translating complex data into actionable insights, guiding go-to-market decisions, and building high-performing teams.
I specialize in decoding human behavior and distilling insights into clear, compelling narratives that drive customer-centric decision-making, improve retention and acquisition, and unlock new growth opportunities.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Director, Research and Analytics
Liquid Agency
07.2023 - Current
- Lead for the analytics and insights department that provides holistic measurement strategy, business and marketing reviews, insights and recommendations for B2B and B2C clients.
- Integration of AI to create efficiency (reduction of project turnaround times) and to assist in identifying key insights and trends within data sources.
- Partner to enterprise clients to optimize customer journeys and inform always-on feedback loops in regulated and data-sensitive environments.
- Collaborated with clients at the executive stakeholder levels to create scalable strategic measurement frameworks and automated KPI dashboarding or reporting with growth targets.
- Design and execution of multi-country insights projects shaping global brand, customer, and employee experience strategies for clients, driving measurable impact and strategic decision-making.
- Mentored junior associates fostering leadership skills and promoting career advancement opportunities.
- Facilitated cross-functional collaboration for improved decision-making processes within the organization.
- Negotiated favorable contracts with vendors for reduced costs and improved service quality.
Head of Consumer Insights & Analytics
Impossible Foods
01.2021 - 06.2023
- Insights and Marketing Analytics department lead responsible for directing the vision and execution of product and consumer research, shopper insights and marketing analytics for the company.
- Synthesis of research into executive-level storytelling that informed product innovation, brand positioning, and customer engagement strategies.
- Managed the insights budget, and data/research vendor partnerships and contracts.
- Reported directly to C-suite; advised on global strategy with actionable insights.
- Partnered with IT and CIO to automate reporting and accelerate speed to insights.
- Partnered cross-functionally to implement insights into a comprehensive Go-to-Market strategy that resulted in 3X market penetration within 12 months.
- Created first Brand Insights Playbook which was adopted org-wide and used for all customer-facing pitches/presentations.
- Led consumer segmentation, lifetime value (LTV) analysis, and DTC experience optimization to enhance customer retention and engagement.
- Demonstrated strong organizational and time management skills while managing multiple projects.
Senior Manager, Insights
Rodan + Fields
06.2019 - 01.2021
- Partnered with executive leadership to leverage key insights to develop strategy for improving the effectiveness of all a major revenue levers.
- Built and scaled an A/B testing Center of Excellence to optimize marketing strategies and improve ROI through data-driven experimentation and insights.
- Increased ROAS campaigns by over 30% and identified repeatable best practices/patterns to boost performance of all campaigns.
- Generated insights on CRM/loyalty, email campaigns, learning web-based platform, DTC, consumer and shopper insights, e-commerce, HR/Training Learning and Development, and marketing effectiveness.
- Developed core KPIs and automated reporting launching the first integrated knowledge base unifying customer insights, engagement, business performance, and ROI.
- Facilitated stakeholder meetings to ensure alignment on project goals and deliverables across various departments.
- Collaborated with executive leadership to define long-term strategic objectives, positioning organization for future success.
Senior Global Insights Manager
The Clorox Company
08.2016 - 05.2019
- Created and deployed innovative methodologies resulting in valuable insights that identified untapped white space, significantly increased revenue and attracted new customers.
- Synthesized data and research into executive-level storytelling that informed product innovation, brand positioning, and customer engagement strategies.
- Partnered with executive team to revise Go-to-Market strategy based on key insights I uncovered, which resulted in 3X projected revenue.
- Developed a custom customer segmentation study that uncovered insights that informed the brand strategy that resulted in achieving 2X revenue projected and a very successful product launch that became Clorox's biggest innovation for the year.
- Generated insights that helped reach an expanded audience and improved marketing spend ROI.
- Created automated purchase funnel reporting to track customer reach.
- Conducted product and consumer research to successfully launch product innovation.
- Revitalized product and marketing claims with a strategic implementation framework for R&D and brand marketing.
- Analyzed consumer insights to drive strategic product development initiatives.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to implement data-driven marketing strategies.
- Developed comprehensive reports to present findings and recommendations to senior leadership.
- Led market research projects to identify emerging trends and consumer preferences.
- Presented key insights at stakeholder meetings, influencing strategic business decisions.
- Established strong working relationships with external research partners, ensuring seamless execution of projects and timely delivery of results.
- Partnered with sales teams to develop targeted strategies based on customer segmentation analyses.
- Proactively identified risks associated with proposed initiatives by evaluating potential impact on revenue generation and customer satisfaction.
- Presented research findings to executive leadership, driving informed strategic decisions across the organization.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to ensure the integration of relevant insights into marketing strategies and campaigns.
- Collaborated with product management teams to incorporate consumer insights into product development plans, supporting successful launches.
- Evaluated industry trends and emerging technologies to inform future investments in market research tools and methodologies.
Director, Data Strategy & Implementation
Beckon, Inc.
06.2015 - 08.2016
- Client data implementation lead, responsible for integrating client data sources and streams into the Beckon platform.
- Created Marketing KPI scorecards, marketing and funnel overview, and campaign dashboards for clients to identify losses and opportunities and improve ROAS.
- Led large-scale analytics global integration for a $70B company. Subsequently, was awarded the US (domestic) business due to success of international implementation.
- Identified 30% of unaccounted losses in marketing/agency spend across multi-million dollar marketing portfolio.
Director, Insights & Analytics
Crossmark
08.2012 - 06.2015
- Rebuilt the Northwest Business Insights department within my first year by hiring, re-training, and leading a high-performing analytics team supporting 50+ clients.
- Promoted after first year to lead all West region analytics teams.
- Partnered with consumer goods brands to optimize product placement and sales strategy across major retailers by delivering data-driven insights and actionable recommendations.
- Created industry-leading business insights reporting template that became the company-wide standard for reviewing business results.
- Automated insights reporting and workflows, cutting completion time by 60% -while increasing efficiency and scalability.
- Increased business development effectiveness: Boosted client close rates by 50% by integrating strategic data analysis and value-added insights into new business presentations.
- Mentored senior managers, promoting professional growth and leadership development within the organization.
- Spearheaded process improvements that resulted in increased productivity and streamlined workflows across departments.
- Developed high-performing teams by providing mentorship, guidance, and opportunities for professional growth.
Category Analyst/Manager
Kimberly-Clark
08.2010 - 08.2012
- Strategy/Planning support, category management, and insights supporting sell-in and revenue-generating activities at Safeway.
- Delivered $8M in incremental revenue, reversing a 7-year sales decline and transforming underperforming brands into profitable, net-positive businesses through strategic insights and recommendations.
- Analyzed category performance and market trends to inform strategic decision-making.
- Utilized data visualization tools to present findings in clear, impactful formats for stakeholders.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop actionable insights.
- Conducted competitive analysis, identifying opportunities for growth within targeted segments.
Education
MS - Industrial/Organizational Psychology
San Jose State University
San JoseBachelor of Arts - Psychology; Minor in Communication
San Jose State University
San Jose, CASkills
- Executive leadership
- Effective data and insights storytelling (ability to synthesize information into a clear, simple story with compelling and actionable insights)
- Consumer / Customer insights and behavioral analysis
- Quantitative research
- Qualitative research
- Research and analytics using AI
- 3rd party sampling
- Global primary research and data trackers
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Data analysis expertise
- KPI development
- Data reporting, visualization, and automation using BI tools
- Survey platforms (Qualtrics, Survey Monkey, Typeform, Google forms, Microsoft surveys, UserTesting, HotJar, VoxPopMe)
- Syndicated Data (Nielsen, Circana/IRI, Numerator, Mintel, Kantar)
- Excel (Advanced)
- Working knowledge of SQL, R, Python, and SPSS for data extraction and analysis; adept at using AI tools (eg, ChatGPT) to support coding, troubleshooting, and accelerating workflows
Accomplishments
- Executive Influence — Experience reporting directly to C-suite and working with C-suite clients across multiple industries, shaping business decisions through insights.
- User Experience — Improved user interfaces and digital experiences for high-tech clients across software platforms, websites, and employee portals
- AI & Reporting Automation Leader — Integrated AI at Liquid Agency to reduce time on insights-led projects; Automated reporting at Crossmark optimizing time to complete projects (reduced reporting time by 60%); Led large-scale global data reporting automation projects for Fortune 500 clients at Beckon.
- Research and Experimental Design Expertise — Developed a new type of segmentation research at Clorox that refined and improved the GTM strategy, helped reach and better target new customers, and resulted in 2X annual revenue; Established A/B testing center of excellence at Rodan + Fields, eliminating low-ROI campaigns.
- Go-to-Market Impact — Led insights for Impossible Foods' that were implemented into the GTM strategy, which resulted in 3X market penetration within 12 months.
- Turnaround Success — Reversed a 7-year revenue decline for Kimberly-Clark at Safeway via insights-led strategic planning and execution.
- Employee Experience — Completed a global large-scale EX research project with a Fortune 500 tech company that informed their EX strategy and campaigns while delivering a holistic EX measurment strategy and reporting to track progress and ongoing employee sentiment.
Timeline
Director, Research and Analytics
Liquid Agency
07.2023 - Current
Head of Consumer Insights & Analytics
Impossible Foods
01.2021 - 06.2023
Senior Manager, Insights
Rodan + Fields
06.2019 - 01.2021
Senior Global Insights Manager
The Clorox Company
08.2016 - 05.2019
Director, Data Strategy & Implementation
Beckon, Inc.
06.2015 - 08.2016
Director, Insights & Analytics
Crossmark
08.2012 - 06.2015
Category Analyst/Manager
Kimberly-Clark
08.2010 - 08.2012
MS - Industrial/Organizational Psychology
San Jose State University
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology; Minor in Communication
San Jose State University
Publications
- International Symposium on Aviation Psychology
- A Conceptual Framework for Studying Safety Climate and Culture of Commercial Airlines
- Dr. Sharon Glazer, Amber R. Laurel, Rangapriya Kanan Narasimhan
- A comprehensive safety climate and safety culture framework, which can be utilized to assess various predictors and consequences of safety climate and to assess airline's safety culture in relation to one another, is presented. The framework depicts a process whereby individual, group, and organizational predictor variables, through perceived safety climate, affect first level outcomes.
- This research was funded and supported in partnership with the FAA and NASA Ames Research Center.
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