We were thrilled to introduce the new MRII Emerging Markets Award this year, welcoming applicants from three key regions: Latin America, Africa/Middle East, and Asia/Pacific. The award, which offers free market research education to rising market research professionals in emerging markets around the world, was made possible through the support of OvationMR and created in partnership with ESOMAR and the University of Georgia.
Beatrice Waruguru Karimi is one of three inaugural recipients of the award. Beatrice currently serves as a Project Assistant for Aga Khan Institute for Human Development based in Kenya. Here, she shares more about her award experience.
What motivated you to apply for the MRII Emerging Markets Award?
Beatrice: My motivation was that it was a fully funded course, having such a well structured course at no cost is something to behold, also the learning opportunity was a match to my interest of career specialization.
What does it mean to you that you were selected as the Award winner?
Beatrice: This was such a great opportunity for me. Being chosen as the recipient for Africa/Middle East region felt surreal and such a motivating factor to put progress in my career by gaining skills and knowledge required in my field
Tell us about your motivations for pursuing an MR/Insights career.
Beatrice: I desired growth and progress in my career, attaining this required gaining skills and knowledge, coming across this opportunity I knew how much of a learning opportunity it is, and I am happy to say that it exceeded my expectations.
What were your initial expectations for the Market Research Design and Data Identification Express course you chose as your award class?
Beatrice: My initial expectation was to learn how to create a research proposal. This was one area I knew would elevate my career, i am glad to say that my expectations were 100% met.
Tell us about your experience with the course!
Beatrice: The course is well structured and very detailed so that it allows understanding of self-paced learning. The videos in between the modules come in handy in explaining situations better. I also love how you get to do three assessments in between to test your understanding
What feature[s] about the course was most valuable to you?
Beatrice: I got to learn the whole process of proposal development. This has been an area of interest to me because I would like to be part of a team that is able to successfully approach a client’s problem and offer solutions.
How do you look to leverage your course experience as you progress in your research and insights career?
Beatrice: Moving forward, with the knowledge acquired, I see myself approaching situations and problems brought in by clients differently and in a professional manner, such that I will be creating positive impacts at larger scales.
The next round of the MRII Emerging Markets Award is planned for March of 2025. Stay tuned!
