Esomar Foundation names new president and five board members

The Esomar Foundation has appointed Karin Lieshout as president and added five new board members, including leaders from SKIM, Toluna, Kantar and the Esomar Council. The leadership refresh is intended to expand the charity’s work in scholarships and volunteer research support for nonprofits.

Why it matters: - The Esomar Foundation is resetting its leadership as it pushes to turn market research expertise into social impact. - The board changes affect the charity’s scholarship work and its OneDay initiative, which links nonprofits with insight professionals.

What happened: - The Esomar Foundation named Karin Lieshout as its new president. - Lieshout succeeds John Kearon, who served as president since 2017. - The Foundation also added five new board members. - The announcement was made in Amsterdam on July 6, 2026.

The details: - Lieshout is co-CEO of SKIM. - Her background includes helping grow SKIM from a start-up into a global insights consultancy. - Lieshout has also helped drive SKIM’s sustainability agenda. - She has served on the Esomar Foundation Board for the past two years. - Lieshout said she wants to build on the Foundation’s current work and continue its ambitions with the board and volunteers. - Mayke Harkema joins the board as a new member. - Harkema is Senior Manager Business Consultancy at SKIM. - Harkema received a 2025 ESOMAR YES Award and Significant Insights Global 30 Under 30 recognition. - Jon Arthurs joins the board as a new member. - Arthurs is Managing Director and Global Head of Sustainability at Toluna. - Arthurs has more than 30 years of experience. - He founded Toluna’s ESG strategy. - Dave Phillips joins the board as a new member. - Phillips is Global Client Director at Kantar. - Phillips is a Fellow of the Market Research Society. - Phillips has more than 40 years of experience. - Martha Llobet and Lucy Davison join as supervisory board members. - The new supervisory members are Esomar Council members. - The Foundation said the board will help drive strategy for the next two years. - The Esomar Foundation thanked John Kearon for his leadership since 2017. - The Foundation also thanked Frederic-Charles Petit for his contributions and leadership on the OneDay initiative.

Between the lines: - The board mix suggests the Foundation wants deeper ties across research, sustainability and industry leadership. - Adding Esomar Council members as supervisory board members may strengthen alignment between the Foundation and the wider organization. - The appointments also keep the charity closely connected to senior leaders already active in the insights sector.

What's next: - The new board will focus on advancing the Foundation’s strategy over the next two years. - The Foundation will continue its two main areas of impact: Education & Scholarships and OneDay. - The organization will keep using volunteer research expertise to support charities and nonprofits. - More information is available on the Foundation’s website.

The bottom line: - Esomar Foundation is betting that a refreshed board and new president will help scale its social-impact mission across the research industry.