Harm Hartman recognised for “analytical authority” with Data Professional award
During the 19th edition of the Data & Insights Awards at LIEF Amsterdam, Harm Hartman was named Data Professional – Agency Side 2026.
Hartman plays a key role in the election exit polls developed by Ipsos I&O for the NOS. These polls are closely followed by millions of viewers live on election night and are often strikingly close to the official results published shortly afterwards.
The jury praised him as a professional who combines broad knowledge with a strong focus on quality and a clear vision of where the field is heading. They also emphasised his ability to bring complex real-world cases into sharp focus, positioning him both as a subject-matter expert and a visible ambassador for the profession.
Conversational Studio was named Data & Insights Agency of the Year 2026. Congratulations to Marjolein van Ballegooij and her team on this achievement.
Individual recognition
In conversation with host Hadassa de Boer, Hartman noted that speaking in the first person felt somewhat uncomfortable: 'It’s an individual award, so I was advised to do it, but nothing is achieved alone — it’s always a team effort.'
Country manager Gerben Huijgen added: 'Very proud of ‘our’ Harm. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition — a milestone in a long career proving your value across exit polls, NMO, and many other projects.'
On the future of market research
In his jury presentation, Harm looked back at how market research has evolved and pointed to growing pressures ahead: declining response rates, increasing challenges around data quality, and the rise of organisations collecting data themselves thanks to new technology. In a follow-up session at Daily Data Bites Live, he expanded on this view, describing it as a wake-up call for the sector rather than a pessimistic outlook.
