Monica Gessner
My life passion is understanding how people think - both as individuals and as groups or cultures. My fascination began as an interest in the impact of such factors on economic and political trends, and has evolved to include a keen interest in the science of happiness and self actualisation. This has led me on an interesting and unusual career path, starting first in investment banking (where I sought to understand economics at a micro level through examining the intricacies of individual companies and specific markets), through roles in consulting and marketing (where I applied my understanding of behaviour and market dynamics), and ending up in my current vocation of market research where every day I examine changes in people's behaviour and opinions.
This brings me to an examination of the next step in my career. For this, I see social psychology as playing a pivotal if not central role. The more I learn about social psychology, the more I see how it fits both with my current field of market research and my personal passions of understanding the drivers behind how people think and act, and how to help people lead happier, more fulfilling lives.
As I am new to the discipline of social psychology, I would be grateful for suggestions anyone might have, however small, for how to hone in on the areas which might be most relevant to my interests, or people within the field who might be good to talk to to understand how my background might translate into a career in social psychology.
Primary Interests:
Education
-
B.Sc., Applied Math - Economics
Brown University
1990
-
MBA, Marketing, Management Strategy, Organisational Behaviour
J.L.Kellogg Graduate School of Management
1997
Honors and Awards
- member Sigma Xi honor society
- member Beta Gamma Sigma honor society
Work Experience
-
Analyst
Employer: Morgan Stanley & Co Incorporated (New York, USA)
July 1990 - July 1992
-
Consultant - Sales, Marketing & Distribution
Employer: Company Assistance Limited (Warsaw, Poland)
August 1992 - December 1993
-
Client Service Executive
Employer: Amer Nielsen Marketing Research (Warsaw, Poland)
July 1994 - May 1995
-
Summer Associate
Employer: McKinsey & Company, Inc (Chicago, USA)
June 1996 - August 1996
-
Associate Marketing Manager
Employer: The Clorox Company (San Francisco, USA)
July 1997 - April 2000
-
Brand Manager
Employer: The Clorox Company (San Francisco, USA)
April 2000 - December 2000
-
Consumer Insights Manager
Employer: The Clorox Company (San Francisco, USA)
January 2001 - December 2001
-
Account Services Director
Employer: Roy Morgan Research (Sydney, Australia)
July 2003 - July 2009
-
Client Services Director
Employer: Australia Online Research
January 2011 - present
Membership in Professional Organizations
- Australian Market & Social Research Society
Languages Spoken
-
English
Native speaker
-
Polish
Basic proficiency
-
French
Basic proficiency
Monica Gessner
Sydney 2089
Australia
- Mobile: +61 416 302 070