Has anyone ever described your work as "interesting" and left you wondering whether that was really enough? For Elizabeth Knox Oates, that moment became a career-defining provocation. In episode 93 of the Transforming Insight podcast, we are delighted to have Elizabeth Knox Oates, a seasoned Insights leader, author, and speaker helping some of the world’s most recognised brands transform consumer understanding into business impact. Elizabeth, currently serving as the VP of Consumer Insights at Molson Coors Beverage Company, joins host James Wycherley to discuss her book, More Than Just Interesting and the deceptively simple idea at its heart: that the true measure of Insight isn't how fascinating it is, but what it moves people to do.
Elizabeth brings over two decades of experience in the Insights sector, with a reputation that spans both sides of the Atlantic. Her book is part memoir, part manifesto, drawing on hard-won lessons from a career spent helping organisations turn research into action. She's refreshingly candid about her own missteps along the way, including a telling example of research that yielded plenty of findings but precious few answers, simply because the right questions weren't asked at the outset.
The conversation gets into the practical mechanics of actionable Insight: how to identify the knowledge gaps that are genuinely blocking decisions, how to work backwards from the actions stakeholders could take, and how to close the gap between what Insight teams think success looks like and what senior decision-makers actually need.
Elizabeth also introduces a memorable framework: “no longer true, still true, now true” - for navigating an industry in flux. Because while AI, budget pressures, and shifting methodologies are reshaping the landscape, her core conviction holds firm: the job of Insight is to surface human truths and drive business action. Everything else is context.
More Than Just Interesting is warmly recommended for any Insight professional looking to deepen their impact.
Please listen to find out more!
Topics Discussed
This is episode 93 of the Transforming Insight podcast.
If you have the ambition to transform your Insight team and the role it plays in your organisation, please tune in to future episodes. Not only will we explore the 42 secrets of successful corporate Insight teams as outlined in the Transforming Insight book, and the 9Ps of The Insight Leader’s Playbook, we will also talk to senior corporate Insight leaders, delve into books that have inspired us, and discuss new best practice research carried out with the IMA’s corporate members.
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About James Wycherley
James Wycherley was Director of Customer Insight and Analytics at Barclays Bank from 2005 to 2015 when he became Chief Executive of the Insight Management Academy (IMA).
He published his first book, Transforming Insight, in 2020, and his second, The Insight Leader’s Playbook, in 2025, and he hosts the Insight forums and the Transforming Insight podcast.
An entertaining keynote speaker, he has presented over 60 times at Quirk’s events, a global record, and has provided thought leadership in the UK, USA, Europe, Canada, Australia, India and the Middle East.
The Insight Management Academy is the world’s leading authority on transforming corporate Insight teams, and its vision is to inspire and support every Insight leader to transform the impact of Insight in their organisation.
Resources:
If you would like more information on any of the ideas discussed in this episode of the Transforming Insight podcast, please visit www.insight-management.org
Disclaimer
The Transforming Insight podcast is published by the Insight Management Academy and produced by Zorbiant.