Earning a seat at the table: risk, value, and the power of insight with Ed Kahn

Episode notes

In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly sit down with Ed Kahn, Senior Principal of CX Research and Insights at Mutual of America Financial Group, to unpack one of the most common frustrations in the research world: the feeling of not having a seat at the table. Ed’s career spans more than two decades across consumer electronics, syndicated research, and financial services, with leadership roles at Samsung, Sony, MetLife, Citi, and now Mutual of America. With a foundation in anthropology and psychology and an MBA in finance and international business, Ed brings a rare blend of human understanding and business fluency to his work. Ed challenges the idea that access alone is what researchers lack. Instead, he argues that influence grows when researchers deeply understand how the business makes money, where risk truly sits, and which decisions matter now versus later. He shares real examples of pushing back on low-value research requests, reframing conversations around scale and impact, and knowing when an interesting insight belongs in tomorrow’s discussion rather than today’s decision.