“Qualitative research is increasingly important to our clients and Martha’s extensive experience in that area will both complement and broaden HLB’s overall research capabilities,” stated Ford Pearson, CEO of HLB. “We are excited to have her joining the company, as she helps us provide even more value to our clients.”

Ms. Cotton’s professional experiences encompass an assortment of roles in a variety of industries. Her most recent position was Research Director and Ethnography Lead for Hall & Partners, a brand and communications research firm. Specializing in mixed-methodology engagements: blending ethnography with other more traditional qualitative methods, she developed innovative brand personalities where positioning and messaging strategies were implemented for new product and service launches.

Prior to that, Ms. Cotton previously worked for Sapient Corporation as Director of User Research, serving as principal for all user research programs and providing leadership, vision and delivery oversight. Before that, she was a Senior Project Manager at E-Lab LLC in Chicago, a firm well known for having advanced and evolved ethnographic research practices towards business objectives. There, she was responsible for several accounts across a number of industries including Consumer Package Goods and Automotive.

In addition to her research work, Ms. Cotton wrote and published a cookbook entitled, “Dinner Dates: A Cookbook for Couples Cooking Together.” She promoted the book in selected U.S. cities via television, radio and print media as well as personal appearances. Initially, she worked as a professional singer and actress in New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Along with numerous commercial appearances and choral performances around the country; she co-founded and managed The Actors’ Repertory Theater Company in Chicago.

Ms. Cotton obtained her M.A. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and her B.A. in English from Indiana University. She also spent a semester studying at the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies in Oxford, England.