At Just Worldwide, we know our team members are our strongest assets, they are at the heart of everything we do and achieve. In our spotlights we'll introduce you to members of the Just Worldwide team who will discuss their journey in market research, achievements and highlights of their roles. Let's meet Ornella Gentile and Ian Becattelli from Just Worldwide Italy. In this interview Ornella and Ian talk about their experience managing projects in Italy and how the industry may change in the future.
Tell us about your Market Research career so far
Ian: I began my career in the mid1990s as a Qualitative Research Executive in London, where I developed a real passion for understanding people and their experiences. In 2001, I made the move into freelancing, partnering with research agencies and gaining invaluable exposure to different approaches, sectors, and ways of thinking.
During that time, I collaborated frequently with Just Worldwide and found the work especially rewarding. That relationship grew naturally over the years, and in 2016, establishing Just Worldwide Italy felt like the next logical - and exciting - step forward
Ornella: I began my career in 2011 at a small market research agency in Rome, where I gained hands on experience managing fieldwork studies across a wide range of therapeutic areas, working closely with both HCPs and patients. In 2016, I joined Just Worldwide, and it’s been a rewarding journey ever since.
At Just, I’ve found an environment that continually enables me to grow, strengthening my project management abilities, refining my organisational skills, and giving me the space to keep developing professionally.
What sets Just Worldwide apart from other fieldwork agencies?
Ian: What sets Just Worldwide apart is our commitment to going the extra mile, a bit like the old Avis motto: we try harder.
Once we commit to a project, we’re all in. Whether it’s Ornella navigating the recruitment of patients with rare or ultra rare conditions, or me conducting complex interviews during a high profile central location day, our focus is always on giving clients absolute confidence that we will deliver. We’re a small, highly experienced team, which means we stay agile. We’re able to work closely with a select group of trusted partners, keeping quality high and communication seamless.
Ornella: As Ian says, our strength lies in our size and our experience. With the two of us leading the team, clients benefit directly from our hands-on involvement at every stage of the project. Having worked across many therapy areas and consistently delivered on challenging recruitment targets, we’re able to offer informed, proactive guidance throughout the entire process, not just at the outset.
And, of course. we have the benefit of working with our colleagues across the globe! The sharing of knowledge and experience benefits us all.
In a market like Italy, how do you think market research will change in the future?
Artificial intelligence is already reshaping key aspects of market research, and we’re experiencing that firsthand. Tasks like translation, preparing inputs, and reviewing outputs have become faster and more efficient thanks to AI. We’ve also begun experimenting with AI driven tools like using bots to ask intelligent open-ended questions at the end of quantitative interviews. Looking ahead, the real turning point will come when AI begins to take on more of the recruitment and moderation process. Ornella and I are already speaking directly with respondents and together with our colleagues in Germany, gathering early feedback from both HCPs and patients on the idea of fully AI moderated interviews.
So far, the message from Italian participants is consistent: there is considerable scepticism around AI, particularly concerning personal data. More importantly, respondents emphasise the value of human interaction notably: empathy, conversational nuance, and the ability to explore complex or sensitive topics with an experienced moderator.
Of course, attitudes will evolve, and we need to be prepared for that shift. But given Italy’s strong cultural appreciation for personal connection, we expect the adoption of fully AI driven research approaches here to progress more slowly than in other markets.
What do you find most rewarding about your role?
Ornella: What I find most rewarding about my role is knowing that the work we do genuinely helps healthcare companies understand what HCPs and patients truly need. Meaningful insights are made possible by skilled fieldworkers and researchers working in an environment that nurtures growth, encourages trust, provides the right tools, and fosters real collaboration.
That supportive culture is exactly what we’re proud of here at Just Worldwide. It empowers us to do our best work, and ultimately deliver the clarity and human understanding that make a real difference
Ian: After thirty years, I still have a passion for conducting interviews and group discussions. I love learning new things and derive a great deal of personal satisfaction from getting people to open up and reveal the more intimate parts of their hearts or minds.
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