Jos Kuper is a research professional of more than 40 years experience and heads Kuper research, a consultancy specialising in media, marketing and socio-political analysis. Her focus is on the development of new entrants on the media playing field, the reinvigoration of existing media products, country and corporate perception audits, and the development of communication strategies. The emphasis is on innovative and insightful research processes, surveys and segmentations in order to facilitate relevant and meaningful interventions in the areas of concern. She lectures on an ad hoc basis to Masters and Honours level media studies students at the University of the Witwatersrand, has presented several papers at international conferences, and is a member of the Steering Committee of Transparency International.

Lauren Shapiro has been in the research industry in various guises for more than 25 years, from pure research to media planning. She has partnered Jos Kuper at Kuper Research for almost 10 years and is one of the independent researchers responsible for the futurefact survey, which has been monitoring the significant social, political and economic attitudinal changes in South Africa since 1998. This includes segmentation of the mindsets of South Africans, the development of indices of social cohesion and active citizenship, and media analyses pertinent to specific clients. She was the vice president of the Pan African Media Research Organisation (PAMRO). She has also been instrumental in training clients and students in the use of research analysis tools and software.