by Navigating Disruption in the Insight Industry: BNY’s Vision for the Future
Fabian Khoshbakht will be speaking at QUAL360 in Singapore, bringing over 25 years of experience in treasury services, client insight, and innovation. As Global Head of Client Insight & Innovation and Head of Treasury Services APAC at BNY, he leads digital strategy, fintech partnerships, and analytics to drive client-focused growth across payments, liquidity, and trade finance.
QUAL: What motivates you to join the QUAL360 APAC conference, and what is the core message of your talk?
Fabian: It’s clear there’s enormous change and disruption occurring across the vast majority of industries, and market research and insights are no exception. This makes it important for industry professionals to come together, discuss, and debate what this change means and how we can equip ourselves to seize the opportunities it presents. My talk will specifically focus on how consumers respond differently when participating in interviews moderated by an AI agent compared to a human.
QUAL: How has this impacted your own work and your organisation?
Fabian: At Google Marketing, we have an aspiration: ‘Know the User, Know the Magic, Connect the Two.’ Deep and authentic user insights are essential to this, and the demand for research and insight is high across the organization. For a long time, user research has presented a trade-off between quality and speed. AI-native solutions offer our Consumer Insight team an opportunity to amplify our impact by adopting new research methodologies, helping us close this gap and provide our stakeholders with faster, more efficient ways of gaining insights.
QUAL: How has QUAL360 as a practice evolved in the last couple of years, and how would you like to see it evolve in the next few?
Fabian: Across industries, many are grappling with profound change and disruption, often unsure of what the future holds. I believe QUAL360 plays a vital role in bringing people together for genuine conversations about these shifts. Hopefully, this sparks not just high-quality discussion and debate, but also ideas that can be turned into reality. This is especially crucial for the Market Research industry, which, in my view, has been slow to adopt change.
QUAL: Given this evolution, what are two expected and two less obvious skills qual researchers should possess, and why?
Fabian: Two skills are paramount for a strong qualitative researcher: being an excellent listener and knowing when to probe and explore further. A skilled qualitative researcher can spot the potential for an insight and then effectively elicit feedback from their participants to develop it.
As for less obvious skills, allow me to share a personal observation. When I first entered the industry, I was surprised by the distinct labels of ‘Qualitative Researcher’ and ‘Quantitative Researcher,’ finding it hard to understand why one would specialize in one aspect but not the other. While I fully appreciate and respect specialist skills, I always strived to be as well-rounded as possible. Therefore, I believe qualitative researchers should also demonstrate competency in quantitative research.
Furthermore – and this applies to all researchers, not just qualitative ones – one should always aspire to be a thought partner and business partner, making this a core objective. Research conducted without an appreciation of the business context is largely unproductive, and the effectiveness and impact of one’s work are dramatically diminished without the ability to display this crucial skillset.
QUAL: Apart from work, what can delegates at the event talk to you about? Do you have any particular personal interests, hobbies or extracurricular activities and engagements?
Fabian: I love sports, food, and drink, as well as reading about history and politics.
QUAL: Last but not least, we are publishing “reading/listening guides” on our blog (https://merlien.com/the-ux-research-reading-and-podcast-list-2025/), can you share your favourite recommendations for inspiration, learning and leadership:
Fabian:
- In your ears – Podcast: As a keen follower of politics, I regularly switch between ‘Political Currency’ and ‘The Rest is Politics.’ I’m also an old-school Formula 1 fan, so ‘Bring Back V10s’ is another podcast I genuinely enjoy.
- Must read – Book/Blog: For inspiring and educational lessons on leadership, I often turn to two authors who focus on American Presidents. Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals, The Bully Pulpit, and Leadership in Turbulent Times, has an engaging writing style that makes reading about historical figures captivating. Robert A. Caro, author of The Power Broker and the Years of Lyndon B. Johnson series, produces meticulously researched and utterly fascinating works – truly heavy, both physically and intellectually! Beyond non-fiction, I also enjoy fiction, with Gabriel Garcia Marquez, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and John Steinbeck being my favorite authors.”
QUAL: Thank you so much, Fabian! We look forward to hearing more from you at QUAL360 in Singapore!
Join Asia’s Only Conference Focused on Qualitative Research – QUAL360 APAC 2025
📅 October 14–15, 2025 | Singapore
Qual360 is the only global conference series dedicated to qualitative market research. With its 17+ Years of Driving Innovation in Qualitative Research, it is a unique event catering to a strong global community of dedicated “Quallies”. At QUAL360 APAC, you’ll discover the latest research methodologies, explore real-world case studies from global brands, and network with top-tier insights professionals from across the region.
2025 speaker highlights include: PepsiCo Foods – Associate Director, Insights; Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore – Head of Insights (CMI) & Innovations; Google APAC – Head of Brand & Consumer Insights; Whole Earth Brands – International Marketing Director; Microsoft – Principal Design & Research Manager, Shiseido – Regional CMI Manager, and many more!
Secure your early-bird ticket now and save $400!
