Soumya Pal

Senior Research Associate (March, 2020) -> Research Manager (April 2021)

Key Clients -> ITC Foods, ITC PCP (Personal Care Products), Colgate, Cipla, Tata Consumer products, Myntra, MPL - Galactus Funware Technology Pvt Ltd ), Quakers

• Experienced at handling multiple research projects related to market assessment, market entry, competitive profiling market research & branding.
• Have gained rich experience in Qualitative market research with strong involvement in consumer interaction phase.
• Have covered urban, semi-urban and rural geographies for various exploratory, diagnostic, usage and attitude, consumer segmentation, brand equity and positioning studies.
• Employing best suitable qualitative techniques for data collection, analysis and interpretation. Including projective techniques to understand attitude and behavior of consumers
• Evaluated consumer preferences and behaviors, combined with market trends and historical data, to adjust and enhance campaigns.
• During the pandemic carried out online In Depth interviews, group discussions and ethnography sessions as per the requirement of the objective of the study.
• Handling multiple projects at a time with team of Research Associates and Senior Managers.
• Coordinating with client at each stage of the project to keep them updated and in loop for any additional requirements if any.
• Working towards developing new clients as part of active member of the business development team.
• Planned and implemented studies to assess market conditions and evaluated results to enhance marketing campaigns.
• Provided research and development on apparels products to showcase benefits and retain customers.
• Met all deadlines, exceeding expectations and effectively rolling out to launch improved products

Types of Research Studies Handled

Advertising Research – for categories such as FMCG, Oral care Products, Snacks

• Ideation/ brain storming for creative inputs
• Testing creative concepts and positioning platforms
• Creative development studies, reconvened sessions
• Ad eval – Pre and post

Exploratory Research – for categories such as FMCG, Pharma (OTC products), Oral Care products, Online gaming

• Usage and attitude
• Values and lifestyle studies
• Segmentation studies
• Triggers and barriers – Category and brand level

Brand Research – for categories such as FMCG, Online gaming, Apparels

• Brand Code and positioning
• Brand Equity
• Brand Diagnostic
• Understanding purchase dynamics and buying behavior
• Promotional and campaign research

Product Research – for FMCG (blended spices), Ready to Eat products

• New product development
• Product encounter sessions
• Testing of product concepts

User Experience – for FMCG (on various brands of wheat Flour)

• Usability testing, Journey mapping, Product design, Merchandise planning

Rural research – for Oral care products

• Understanding the evolving codes of tooth paste in West Bengal and Odisha during pandemic

Semiotics – for FMCG (on various brands of wheat flour and salt

• Decoding communication semiotics, brand identity and packaging

Joined as intern (August 2017 - Dec 2018) -> Research Analyst (Jan 2019 - Jan 2020)

Key clients -> Abbott, Novartis, Wockhartd, Dr.Reddy's Lab, SunPharma, Cipla, Sanofi, UCB (Union Chimique Belge), Roche, Astrazeneca, Glenmark, GSK, Hindustan Unilever, Bayer, JnJ, Lupin, Eli Lilly, Pfizer

• Quickly learned new skills and applied them to daily tasks, improving efficiency and productivity.
• Working along with senior market research executives and supervisors to understand the treatment and management of different health problems.
• Studying the market position and values of different drug in the market with respect to patient’s usage and competitors.
• Meeting doctors and patients for in depth discussions about different health problems for research analysis and contribute meaningful insights for the project and presenting data in front of clients.
• Used critical thinking to break down problems, evaluate solutions and make decisions.
• Training interns taking an effort to maintain energy and enthusiasm in fast-paced environment. Demonstrated respect, friendliness and willingness to help wherever needed.

Types of Research Handled

Brand Tracking Studies -

• Tracked and analyzed the performance of competitors
• Uncovered trends and opportunities for the brand
• Adapted strategy to understand the threats and opportunities.

Pricing study -

• Used mostly the Gaber-Granger technique to arrive at suitable price points/range

Concept/Product testing -

• Understanding the feedback from doctors for new or improved molecules/treatments/products

Monitoring clinical trial

• This study was done for Bayer (Germany) where India (Manipal Hospital, Bangalore) was one of the centres on thyroid cancer patients who were treated with radioactive Iodine

Patient Journey Studies

• Leveraging real world data and analytics to understand patients' unmet need of every dimensions
• Patients with cataracts, GERD, knee replacement surgery, arthritis, blood cancer (leukemia, myeloma) and menopause were included in the study.

Key Clients -> MedImmune-AstraZeneca (Maryland, USA), Yale University

• Phase 0 & 1 preclinical trials on SCID mice by implanting tumors (Patient Derived Xenografts from head and neck region).
• The preclinical trial was done for five anti-cancer drugs for head and neck region designed by MedImmune-AstraZeneca (Maryland, USA)
• Maintained knowledge of company strategic direction, goals and objectives and aligned projects appropriately.
• Managed project risk by identifying, quantifying and monitoring potential threats
• Collaborated with multiple universities across the globe on different studies to identify and review patients who can be potential subject of research.
• Reviewed eligibility and consent documentation to help researchers achieve accurate and meaningful results.
• Synthesized and utilized key information from proposals, technical reports and publications to achieve objectives.
• Followed drug storage procedures to comply with protocols and SOP requirements.

• Teaching junior and sophomore students of the support group and demonstrating various experiments and lab techniques needed for research.
• Taught other subjects like - Genetics, Molecular Biology, Biostatistics