Ryan McConnell is the lead product manager for Kantar’s North American MONITOR suite of syndicated consumer insights products. His role is to lead the strategy, content, and innovation plans for MONITOR’s business, which has been helping brand marketers understand the attitudes, values, and motivations of American consumers for 50+ years.

Ryan began his career in marketing and advertising as a media planner at Ogilvy & Mather in 1999. After a stint as a consumer strategist at Carat, Ryan earned his master’s degree in journalism at NYU and worked as a reporter for MLB.com and Advertising Age prior to joining The Futures-Company – which later became Kantar – in 2008.

In March 2020, Ryan’s passion for sports marketing led him to spearhead the creation of Sports MONITOR, a fan insights service that helps brands connect with modern fans.

When not contemplating the intersection of consumers, culture, and commerce, Ryan enjoys traveling, rooting for underperforming sports franchises (Knicks/Jets/Mets), and wrangling his two kids, Cassie (12 going on 16) and Benjamin (10). He lives in Durham, North Carolina.