Savanta is sort of the Goldilocks of size, where it's small enough to be nimble and make changes but also big enough that we have really great resources.
About the series
I have always been interested in the stories of individuals. As an avid reader of biographies, a listener of Ted Talks, and a scourer of Wikipedia pages, I love learning about how people get to where they are and what makes them tick. In this blog series, I speak with Savanta’s leaders to understand how they’ve shaped the unique culture at Savanta and, hopefully, glean some pearls of wisdom that we can all incorporate into our professional lives.
The 7th interview in this series is with Michelle Eule, Executive Director of the Americas region. Michelle’s role covers the overall responsibility for managing, leading and delivering financial performance for the region, including a growth strategy. Follow Michelle’s story from being a psychology major at university to being the Americas lead at Savanta.
Charles: What do you do at Savanta ….and what has been your journey to get here?
Michelle: As Executive Director of the Americas, I’m responsible for all aspects of Savanta’s business in the region, including P&L, growth strategy, and overseeing all operating departments. I started my career fascinated by psychology, and after realizing academia was too theoretical, I took a job at Dynamic Logic in online advertising effectiveness. I’ve done a bit of everything in research, leading departments across client service, operations, and products. Managing a full region for Savanta feels like a culmination of all the skills and experiences I’ve accumulated.
Charles: What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Michelle: Every morning, I start with some exercise, like strength training or a Peloton ride. It’s a good time for me to think about the day ahead, the challenges I’m going to face, and how I’m going to approach them. Taking on new challenges and solving them is what motivates me to start working.
Charles: What’s the project your team at Savanta has done that you’re most proud of?
Michelle: Recently, the US team worked on a complex multi-stage qualitative and quantitative project for a large tech company, which had a B2B target for a product they wanted to monetize. We brought together a dream team of experts who hadn’t worked together before but immediately became a united front. The client has been raving about the team and how valuable their research was in guiding their go-to-market strategy.
Charles: What energizes you at work?
Michelle: I love helping people to realise their full potential. Pushing them to take on new challenges or bringing teams together where their combined skills help them do what they couldn’t do on their own is very fulfilling for me and it’s something I’ve been trying to encourage.
Charles: Is there a life / work hack that you swear by?
Michelle: I like to keep a to-do list on paper. It’s always right next to me, serving as a constant reminder of what needs to be done and allows me to be time effective. It helps to prioritize and reassess what’s most important regularly. Sometimes things can sit on the list longer than others, which can lead to feelings of guilt but there is usually reason for that, such as not being as high on the agenda.
Charles: What’s your superpower?
Michelle: My superpower is seeing the silver lining in things, whether it’s situations or people. In tough situations, I find the positives or the learning experiences that allow me to prevent repeating the same mistake. I also tend to give people the benefit of the doubt and believe most people have the best intentions, even if sometimes that isn’t initially the way they come across.
Charles: What’s a skill you’re currently working on?
Michelle: “I’m trying to figure out how to use generative AI to do things better, whether it’s more efficiently or just better overall. We have great AI tools at Savanta that I’m excited about, and we often share unique ways we’ve used them to do our jobs that others might not yet have thought about doing.
Charles: Have you made any mistakes in your career? What have you learnt from them?
Michelle: When I was younger, there were times when I wasn’t treated well and didn’t speak up for myself when I should have. From my perspective, one of the best ways to overcome these challenges is mentorship, as I had some wonderful mentors over the years who played a big role in my career path. I now mentor women in the research industry to help them navigate their careers with more confidence.
Charles: If you could give your 25-year-old self a piece of advice what would that be?
Michelle: Don’t try to project too hard where you’ll be in the next 10 years and be open to things changing. Discover skills and interests through new experiences. Work with great people at a company that values you, and opportunities will arise.
Charles: For you, what makes Savanta a special place to work?
Michelle: Savanta is the Goldilocks of company sizes, small enough to be nimble and make changes but also big enough that we have really great resources.
To find out more about life at Savanta contact us, or visit our careers page.
Further reading:
- Savanta Life: catching up with Caroline Hawkings
- Savanta Life: secrets to success with Dr. Nick Baker
- Leadership one-to-ones: catching up with Vin DeRobertis
- Leadership one-to-ones: catching up with Nikki Lavoie
- Leadership one-to-ones: catching up with Harry Kounougakis
- Leadership one-to-ones: catching up with Steven Brown