Carlos Garcia
Role in the Center: Advisory Board Member
Carlos Garcia is a veteran in the insights and data industry with an abundance of experience and passion for giving back to his community. His career stretches over 40 years, including his time as Senior Vice President of the Multicultural unit of GfK (Growth from Knowledge) and CEO of Garcia Research for over 30 years. He has conducted research for numerous industries, including health and beauty products, healthcare/pharmacy, food products, baby products, retail and path to purchase, automotive, financial services (banking and insurance), the entertainment industry (music, film, television, internet), DIY retailers/products, and the education sector. He currently serves as CEO of Garcia Research Associates, Inc. As a child of Mexican immigrant parents, he became fluent in Spanish and French. After ten years of experience in Hispanic research, he founded and ran Garcia Research Associates, Inc., serving as the CEO for over twenty years. In 2011, Carlos became an SVP of Multicultural Research with Knowledge Networks, a large national strategic research firm that was then acquired by GfK. After five years with GfK, Carlos Garcia re-launched an independent Garcia Research. All of this resulted in his passion for making a difference in people’s lives. He strives to help establish pipelines for minority students to get involved in the research industry, shares his passion for research with others, and believes that the CCIDM at CPP is a great place to help foster these opportunities. Carlos earned a Bachelor's Degree in Foreign Languages from Pomona College, a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MBA degree from National University. Currently, he resides in Palm Desert, California, where he serves on the board of the City of Palm Desert's Finance Committee and on the Trustees for Pomona College. Moreover, he is currently the Board Chair of the Artists Council.
More About Him!
Carlos Garcia’s extensive resume reveals the impressive and expansive knowledge he has obtained throughout his career which spans across multiple fields of study, specifically in multicultural research. With his years of experience at the companies he has worked for and run, he has involved himself in virtually every product/service category and research topic imaginable.
In terms of stages of research process and methodology, he has been involved in all stages of research from product and concept development to testing and market introduction, as well as from early-stage market exploration to mature market tracking, using both qualitative and quantitative research.
His work has focused particularly on qualitative, foundational research, such as explorative Attitude and Usage studies, and activation/socialization workshops. With consultation work, he has reviewed marketing strategies and tactics for his clients, reviewed past research and future learning plans, and conducted workshops for in-market cultural training for management.
Carlos Garcia is Board Chair Emeritus of Valley Community Healthcare and is a past president of the Pomona College Alumni Association. In 2013, he was the recipient of the Meritorious Service award from the Marketing Research Association (MRA). He is also a recipient of awards from the Latin Business Association (Business of the Year under $5 Million) and the ARF Ogilvy Award (Multicultural project for Walmart).
Carlos Garcia has appeared frequently in the Analytics and Marketing Insights Club’s guest speaker series to share his wealth of knowledge in the insights industry and his business experience. In addition, he served as a judge for a student research competition in 2016. He has also taught marketing research courses for Cal Poly Pomona’s IBM department.
