Toluna is home to some truly exceptional women. Let us introduce you to one of them: Selin Varol, who leads our Discovery Observation team. Selin explores how online conversations shape perception and emotion. She turns cultural noise into insight, connecting the dots between AI, messaging, and human behavior.
Drawn to her role and achievements – both in and outside of Toluna – I sat down with her for an interview.
Q: It’s great to have you here, Selin. To start off, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your role?
Selin: I’d define myself as a narrative consultant at Toluna. I specialize in analyzing digital conversations to uncover their impact on behavior, perception, and decision making. I quantify what is qualitatively expressed and turn cultural conversations into insights. One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to connect the unconnected: finding red threads to bring rigor, nuance, and structure to sentiment about brands, campaigns, and categories.
Q: That’s an interesting overview. Being in the insights industry for almost 11 years, what would you say is one thing the industry is doing right?
Selin: Amidst the wild growth of AI capabilities, the industry is finally putting ‚owning the story‘ first, and that’s a powerful shift. The best research today is grounded in clear intent while staying open to surprise. We’re seeing more projects that prioritize not just hearing but truly listening – especially with our reimagined Inspire solution. These projects bridge academic and commercial rigor with AI-driven innovation to surface meaning that is both personal and actionable. Our clients understand there are no shortcuts; they dig deep, triangulate data, and take ownership of the story. And honestly, we see more women in leadership roles now. My hypothesis is that these two are connected. Happy to run a study on that 😉
Jokes aside, when insights are framed through human stories rather than just statistics, they resonate more deeply and drive smarter decisions. Nurtured lenses are in focus and will remain so.
This is especially true in areas like emotional drivers, user experience, or representation in influencer marketing. A strong story doesn’t just celebrate outcomes; it reveals the path, the context, and the choices. This really makes insights more relatable, and impact more possible.
Q: Speaking of women in leadership roles, what advice would you give to young women entering the research world and aspiring to step into leadership roles?
Selin: I would tell them to seek work partnerships and environments where mentorship becomes an inclusive storytelling practice. By this I mean, collaborate with people who share their paths honestly (not just their titles). That’s where not only your skills grow, but your sense of connection and emotional intelligence evolve. That’s key. In a world that moves fast, shaped by algorithms and digital systems, the hunger for human connection keeps growing. Your career shouldn’t be about perfection, but about continuous growth (only you can define this) and meaningful connection. And don’t be afraid to pivot. Every experience, every learning will shape your unique lens for working with data.
Q: Do you think we can do better in terms of inclusion? How?
Selin: In everything in life, we can always do better, and inclusion is no exception. It’s not about ticking boxes; it’s about expanding who gets to be seen, heard, and valued. In market research, that means being intentional not just about gender, but about embracing women across all life stages, identities, and experiences.
Inclusion means amplifying early-career voices, welcoming mid-career pivots, and honoring the wisdom that comes with age. Evolution doesn’t keep grandmothers around for nothing – there’s deep knowledge there. And when we bridge that wisdom with the curiosity and digital savviness of younger generations, we all move forward.
There is no one definition of womanhood. Every background, identity, and perspective adds richness to our work and reflects the real world we’re researching. The inclusion isn’t about canceling. It’s about connecting. And when we build spaces that truly reflect that diversity, our insights, our teams, and our industry become stronger. If we can do this, I believe we’ll leap forward.
Q: That’s such an inspiring answer, thank you.Coming back to your personal experiences, can you share one project or moment in your career that you’re especially proud of?
Selin: I consider myself lucky and I never take that luck for granted. I’ve had the privilege of working with incredible mentors, clients, and team members, which has led to many exciting moments. If I had to highlight just two (because picking only one feels impossible):
1. Being invited to give guest lectures at the first MA program I graduated from (MA Media & Business at Erasmus University), and then being asked to return, again and again.
2. Presenting the Buzz solution I helped shape, supported by my amazing team. It’s one of our three core social insights solutions and continues to evolve, especially with the addition of our new influencer score for our campaign evaluation framework.
Q: What keeps you curious and excited about the work Toluna does?
Selin: What excites me most is how everything is anchored in human experience. Toluna fully embraces the possibilities of new technologies, but always grounds them in purpose, asking, how can this create real impact for people? It’s that constant balance between innovation and human connection that keeps the work meaningful, especially in the way we serve our clients.
Q: Shifting gears, if you weren’t in research, which field do you think you’d be working in?
Selin: There are so many fascinating crafts I’d love to master…I’d be a woodworker in one lifetime, a patisserie chef in another. But in this one, it’s creative writing, teaching, and writing novels. And to be honest, I’ve been doing those alongside my research career. Overall, whether through data or lived experience, I’m always drawn to stories and emotional truth. It might sound like a cliché, but storytelling and human behavior have always fascinated me, from books to movies to songs. In many ways, research and writing aren’t so different; they both aim to make sense of the world and connect with people in meaningful ways.
Q: How do you balance human-centric storytelling with data rigor in your work?
Selin: Balancing storytelling with data isn’t about softening insights. It’s about giving them structure and soul. We don’t just measure sentiment or identify emotions; we trace its arc, its causes, its impact. I often say, “Let’s turn heatmaps into heartbeats and resolve the conflict.” When we marry quantitative frameworks with the emotional truths they’re built on, our stories don’t just inform; they help our clients take action in the most informed way.
Q: I love that outlook.Before we wrap up, what’s your hope for the next generation of female insight leaders?
Selin: I hope they embrace their fear and turn it into courage without feeling the need to fit into someone else’s mold. That they step into the industry knowing there’s space not just for them, but for all of us. There’s no need for gatekeeping when there’s still so much to explore. Insight work thrives on diverse lenses, and every perspective adds value.
I want the next generation to think in terms of abundance, not scarcity; to believe that success can be shared, that collaboration is strength, and that we grow by lifting each other. I hope they treat storytelling as a strategic skill. Above all, I hope they feel empowered to lead with curiosity, care, and creativity. Because when women across all life stages and identities are given the space to lead authentically, the industry doesn’t just progress it transforms.
