Our people

At RONIN, our tagline encapsulates our approach:?'We get people, real people, real data.'?We take great pride in our commitment to delivering high-quality, authentic data. This achievement is made possible by the talented individuals who form the core of RONIN. Today, we invite you to meet our people and learn more about the individuals behind our success.

1. Can you tell us about your role as a Compliance Executive and what responsibilities it entails? My main responsibilities revolve around being the first port of call for internal compliance and data protection-related enquiries. This includes project-related queries, reviewing and approving consent forms and screeners, dealing with 'Do Not Contact' requests that come through via the call centre or email, and sending out client satisfaction surveys to our clients upon project closure. Other examples of what I do include; conducting internal audits to assess every department's adherence to ISO Standards, after which I write up audit reports and discuss necessary remedial action with Xavier; assisting in keeping the Business Manual up to date and migrating its contents over to Confluence; alongside supporting RONIN’s various departments in admin tasks on an ad hoc basis. All of the above necessitated me gaining a good understanding of the GDPR and other data protection regulations such as the MRS Code of Conduct, to better support the work that RONIN does.
2. What sparked your interest in pursuing your career in compliance? I saw that Xavier Fonder was looking to hire a Compliance Executive and I seized on that opportunity. I started in RONIN as a Desk Research Associate, which was a great gateway into the world of market research. However, I was aware that this role only made me privy to a smaller niche area within the larger sphere of the company’s operations – since the extent of my knowledge began and ended at the fieldwork stage of projects - and I was curious about what others within RONIN did, how the pieces in the puzzle all fit together. This continuous learning aspect of compliance – as staying informed about changes in data protection legislation and industry standards is crucial to the role – appealed to me as I am committed to advancing my professional development. Ultimately, I wanted to pursue a role that would allow me to make a greater positive impact on the company, thus the decision to choose a career in compliance was an easy one.
3. Congratulations on receiving the 2023 IQCS (Interviewer Quality Control Scheme) Quality Ambassador Award! Could you share more about this recognition and what it means to you personally and professionally? Thank you! I wasn’t aware that my name had been put in the running for the award, so it was a very pleasant surprise. On a personal level, I felt very honoured to even be nominated in the first place, and was touched by the kind words from others at RONIN that were given to support my nomination. As I was inexperienced with the world of compliance when I first took the job and had to learn many things quickly along the way, it means a lot to see my efforts acknowledged. Professionally, it motivates me to keep striving to do my best to support RONIN and our clients, and to persist in a commitment to quality, and hope that it brings about more opportunities for me to further contribute to RONIN’s collective growth.
4. Could you describe a particularly challenging compliance issue you've encountered in your career and how you approached resolving it effectively? We have been working on a way to streamline the handling of data subject requests (DSR) across all departments in RONIN. (Here, a DSR refers to a request where someone asks that the company erase any data we hold on them, or not to contact them again). We realised that individuals, usually research participants, were sending their DSR requests to specific departments, and that this information was not being appropriately communicated across all departments involved in running projects. The proposed solution was thus to develop a single accessible database where all DSRs could be directed and actioned across the board. This was rather challenging, not just because of the broad scope of the issue, but because it was an area of compliance that I had not delved into previously. I did some independent research into the GDPR’s stipulations for DSR handling and aided Xavier in reaching out to all relevant HODs to record the process that each department undergoes upon receiving a DSR, identify any known gaps in their process, and voice their concerns. I noted this information down in a master document that was shared with the HODs and proposed potential solutions. In addition, I drafted templated email responses that would be sent to individuals who emailed their DSR requests to us, and recorded them in a centralised register for future reference. I learned a lot about each department and the challenges they face through this, and appreciated how everyone I contacted took the time to guide me through the intricacies of the different systems used. The patience and collaborative initiative of everyone around me was crucial to helping me approach this task.
5. What skills or qualities do you believe are essential for success in the field of compliance, and how have you honed these qualities throughout your career? Some skills that I’ve found particularly important have been: 1) a willingness to learn - there is a lot to know what with the various data protection legislations, evolving industry standards, and other policies that I often brush up against. 2) good organisational and time management skills - because the work involves interacting with various departments and clients, with some tasks spanning months, being able to keep track of all your responsibilities and things to know can be quite tricky. I still have a long way to go with this one, so I set reminders on my calendar so that I remember what I have to do for that day, and I also write down everything I’ve done in a work week so I can track my progress for certain longer tasks. 3) communication skills - compliance related information is not always easy for people in other fields to digest, so communicating in a manner that is efficient but helpful is crucial. That being said I’m still in the very early stages of my career so I cannot claim to have perfected these skills; there is always loads of honing left to do!
6. Reflecting on your journey, what advice would you offer to aspiring compliance professionals who are just starting in the field? A background in compliance or related legal fields is definitely not always necessary – my own background is in Art History – so the first thing is to not be deterred or intimidated by those with more experience. Always keep a cool head and never be afraid to ask questions when in doubt!
7. What's the most interesting or unusual hobby you have outside of work?I’ve been learning how to knit for a few months now, and being able to make my own clothes has been super satisfying. I’ve made a few tops and multiple balaclavas and bonnets so far and would like to challenge myself by making a jumper soon. I enjoy knitting while binge-watching reality TV after work (Single’s Inferno S3 is my latest guilty pleasure…)
8. If you could have a conversation with your younger self, what advice would you give? Calm down, live in the moment, and please sleep more!