Influential Women features Shari Munoz, Head of Research at Seedtag and Founder of MAYAN Insights Consulting, Inc.
Shari Munoz is a seasoned insights and analytics leader with more than 15 years of experience delivering data-driven strategies that empower clients to make informed decisions and achieve measurable business outcomes. Her expertise spans custom research, multicultural and market research, analytics, measurement, and audience strategy, enabling her to support key organizational initiatives across all media channels.
Currently serving as Head of Research & Measurement at Seedtag, Shari leads campaign effectiveness initiatives designed to improve performance outcomes for clients through advanced measurement frameworks and data-informed insights. In this role, she is responsible for elevating how advertising effectiveness is defined, measured, and optimized in an evolving digital ecosystem. Her work sits at the intersection of data science, marketing intelligence, and emerging ad technologies, positioning her as a leading voice in modern advertising measurement.
Before joining Seedtag, Shari served as Senior Vice President of Audience Strategy at Publicis Groupe, where she collaborated closely with media, strategy, and creative teams to develop audience-centric frameworks that drive growth, innovation, and measurable success for global clients. During her tenure, she played a pivotal role in translating complex audience data into actionable strategies that informed creative development, media planning, and brand positioning across industries.
Shari’s career in research and analytics has been shaped by a deep passion for understanding human behavior and transforming data into meaningful insight. She initially pursued a degree in medical microbiology with aspirations of entering cancer research. However, her path shifted when she discovered market research—an industry she had not previously known existed. This unexpected discovery led her into the advertising research space, where she found a unique intersection between science, behavior, and storytelling.
While completing her Master of Business Administration, Shari gained extensive experience on the agency side of the business, working with leading pharmaceutical clients including Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer, as well as brands across consumer packaged goods, travel, and financial services. This cross-industry exposure strengthened her ability to apply analytical rigor across diverse sectors and laid the foundation for her future leadership roles in both research and strategy.
In 2025, Shari returned to the ad tech sector, drawn by its pace of innovation and its potential to reshape how advertising effectiveness is measured. She now leads research and measurement for a contextual advertising organization, where she has been instrumental in advancing the company’s positioning as a neuro-contextual advertising leader. This groundbreaking initiative merges her background in science and research with emerging neuroscience data to better understand audience engagement and cognitive response. The work has been featured at Advertising Week and is slated for presentation at Cannes, underscoring its impact on the future of advertising intelligence.
In addition to her corporate leadership responsibilities, Shari is the Founder and Managing Director of MAYAN Insights Consulting, Inc., a consultancy focused on uncovering strategic opportunities that help organizations elevate performance, strengthen insights capabilities, and drive sustainable growth. Through this venture, she partners with businesses to design research frameworks, enhance measurement systems, and unlock deeper understanding of audiences and markets.
Shari is also a proud member of CHIEF, a private network dedicated to connecting and supporting women executive leaders. She is deeply committed to advancing leadership opportunities for women in analytics, marketing, and technology-driven industries, and she actively contributes to professional communities focused on mentorship, collaboration, and innovation.
Throughout her career, Shari attributes her success to a combination of curiosity, resilience, and a strong commitment to continuous learning. Her cross-disciplinary approach—bridging science, research, and marketing—has enabled her to develop innovative solutions that extend beyond traditional industry boundaries. By integrating insights from multiple fields, she has consistently delivered forward-thinking strategies that redefine how measurement and audience intelligence are applied in advertising.
Resilience has also been a defining factor in her professional journey. Like many leaders in the industry, Shari navigated significant disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period that reshaped workforce dynamics and operational demands. During this time, she managed complex workloads while adapting to rapidly shifting organizational structures. At one point, she transitioned from leading a team of 15 to managing a team of two while maintaining the same level of output and accountability. Simultaneously, Shari balanced professional responsibilities with supporting three children engaged in remote learning. This experience reinforced her belief in adaptability, endurance, and the importance of organizational support during periods of uncertainty.
Beyond resilience, Shari remains motivated by the opportunity to build new frameworks, systems, and ways of thinking. Whether developing measurement models, designing audience strategies, or launching innovative research initiatives, she is driven by a desire to create solutions that did not previously exist. This commitment to innovation continues to guide her leadership approach and professional evolution.
The best career advice Shari has received throughout her journey is to avoid limiting thinking to the boundaries of a single industry. She has learned that some of the most powerful insights come from exploring how other disciplines—such as academia, science, policy, and the arts—approach problem-solving. This multidisciplinary perspective has allowed her to build more robust, creative, and impactful solutions in advertising research and measurement.
She has also been consistently encouraged to remain curious and committed to lifelong learning. In an industry defined by rapid technological and methodological change, Shari believes that those who continue to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and expand their knowledge are best positioned to lead meaningful transformation. Additionally, she values the importance of humility and mentorship, emphasizing that success is never achieved in isolation and that elevating others is essential to long-term impact.
For young women entering the industry, Shari encourages the development of a broad, interdisciplinary perspective. She emphasizes the importance of engaging not only with peers in advertising but also with professionals in academia, legal fields, and public policy. Exposure to diverse viewpoints strengthens critical thinking and enhances strategic decision-making.
She also highlights the importance of relationship-building and networking across disciplines, noting that meaningful connections often lead to unexpected opportunities, collaborations, and innovation. As careers progress, she encourages professionals to remain grounded, recognize the contributions of others, and actively support those earlier in their journeys.
Shari further advocates for continuous learning beyond one’s immediate industry, whether through formal education, seminars, or exposure to adjacent fields. She believes that expanding intellectual horizons strengthens one’s ability to approach challenges with creativity and depth.
One of the most significant challenges currently facing the advertising industry is the unprecedented pace of change, particularly in the context of digital transformation and artificial intelligence. This acceleration has placed increasing pressure on teams to deliver faster, more precise outcomes while maintaining quality and strategic depth. During the COVID-19 period, these challenges were further intensified as organizations operated with reduced resources while maintaining or increasing output demands. These conditions underscored the importance of resilience, adaptability, and organizational support structures.
Despite these challenges, the industry presents substantial opportunities. Advertising has always been rooted in innovation, but the emergence of advanced ad tech and data-driven systems has reignited a focus on experimentation, insight, and strategic evolution. Shari’s return to ad tech reflects her belief in its transformative potential and its ability to redefine how brands understand and engage audiences at scale.
Her professional philosophy is grounded in several core values: resilience, curiosity, innovation, presence, and confidence. Shari believes resilience is essential for navigating uncertainty and complexity, while curiosity and continuous learning fuel innovation. She also emphasizes the importance of confidence—encouraging professionals to recognize their value, trust their expertise, and contribute meaningfully in every environment.
Education has also played a significant role in shaping her perspective. After completing her MBA, Shari continued her academic development through coursework at New York University, which strengthened her communication skills and broadened her intellectual approach. Exposure to disciplines beyond advertising—including the arts, academia, and behavioral sciences—has enriched her ability to interpret challenges through a multidimensional lens.
Today, Shari Munoz continues to stand at the forefront of advertising research and measurement innovation, bridging science, strategy, and technology to redefine how audiences are understood and how effectiveness is measured. Through her leadership at Seedtag and her consulting work with MAYAN Insights Consulting, Inc., she remains committed to advancing the future of data-driven storytelling, contextual intelligence, and meaningful brand engagement across the global media landscape.
Learn More about Shari Munoz:
Through her Influential Women profile: https://influentialwomen.com/connect/Shari-Munoz
Influential Women
Influential Women provides a platform where women from all backgrounds can connect, share their perspectives, and create content that empowers themselves and others. Through storytelling, thought leadership, and creative expression, Influential Women amplifies voices that inspire change.
Editorial Team
Influential Women
email us here
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
