Emma Roberts: A Strategy and Foresight Leader Helping Businesses, Brands & People Flourish
In the modern business landscape, the ability to anticipate change, design strategies that drive growth, and create meaningful partnerships is what separates thriving organisations from those that fall behind. Emma Roberts exemplifies this approach. With more than 15 years of global experience across South Africa, New York, London, and now Australia, she has built a career as a Strategy and Foresight Leader and Commercial Growth Partner, dedicated to helping businesses, brands, and people flourish.
Her journey spans global consultancy firms, industry-leading consumer intelligence platforms, and major transport operators. Along the way, she has shaped foresight-led innovation pipelines, delivered double-digit revenue growth, and partnered with senior leaders to turn ambition into execution. This article explores her career, her educational foundation, and the impact she has made across multiple industries.
A Global Perspective with a Local Focus
Emma Roberts has consistently brought a global perspective to her work, shaped by her experiences across diverse markets. From her early career in South Africa to strategic roles in New York and London, and now her base in Sydney, she combines international expertise with local insight. This breadth allows her to advise businesses with an understanding of cultural nuance, market differences, and consumer behaviours across regions.
Her professional philosophy centres on growth in all its forms: growing businesses, growing brands, and growing people. She thrives not only on setting high-level strategies but also on working side by side with teams to operationalise those strategies effectively.
Educational Foundation at IMM Graduate School
Education laid the groundwork for Emma Roberts’ career. She studied at IMM Graduate School, completing a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and Marketing Management. The IMM Graduate School is renowned for developing marketing and business leaders with a focus on practical, market-ready skills.
This academic foundation provided her with the marketing knowledge and analytical tools required to advise leading companies. It also shaped her ability to balance creative strategy with data-driven decision-making, an approach she has carried into her global career.
Building Strategy and Growth at Foresight Factory
Commercial Director for Global Enterprise Partnerships
Emma Roberts’ most recent and significant role has been at Foresight Factory, a global consumer trends and foresight consultancy. Joining in 2022 as an Enterprise Client Partner, she quickly progressed to Commercial Director for Global Enterprise Partnerships (FMCG) in January 2023.
In this position, she was responsible for leading the global FMCG portfolio, with accountability for commercial growth, client partnerships, and delivery. She directed brand, commercial, and innovation strategies for some of the world’s leading FMCG and alcohol companies. Her leadership ensured that foresight was not just a theoretical exercise but embedded into actionable strategies that shaped portfolios and categories.
Driving Partnerships and Innovation
At Foresight Factory, Emma Roberts partnered with senior leaders to design multi-year growth partnerships and oversaw negotiations and enterprise pipelines. She also coached high-performing teams, embedding foresight into everyday business practices. The result was a blend of strategic foresight and operational clarity, enabling businesses to anticipate change and adapt with confidence.
Global Enterprise Experience at Streetbees
Before joining Foresight Factory, Emma Roberts worked at Streetbees, an AI-powered consumer intelligence platform. From October 2020 to January 2022, she served as an Enterprise Client Partner, Global, based in London.
Her role involved directing global partnerships within alcohol and FMCG industries. She translated real-life consumer behaviours into actionable strategies, helping brands shape positioning, innovation pipelines, and cultural activations. During her time at Streetbees, she achieved strong revenue performance and expanded strategic partnerships across multiple markets.
Steering Commercial Recovery at Eurostar
In 2020, during one of the most turbulent times for the travel industry, Emma Roberts joined Eurostar as Senior Lead Commercial Planning. She was tasked with owning Eurostar’s commercial recovery strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her responsibilities included directing cross-functional teams across CRM, Digital, Sales, Pricing, and Data to deliver critical business initiatives. She also designed KPI frameworks to track progress and ensure delivery. This role showcased her ability to apply foresight and strategy in high-pressure environments, demonstrating adaptability and resilience.
Strategic Leadership at Consulting by Kantar
Emma Roberts’ career is also deeply rooted in her extensive time at Consulting by Kantar, a global insights and strategy consultancy. She worked there for more than eight years, advancing through multiple roles across South Africa, New York, and London.
Key Achievements at Kantar
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Strategy Director (London and New York): Directed strategy engagements for global FMCG and alcohol clients, delivering brand, portfolio, and innovation strategies.
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Associate Director and Consultant Roles: Led projects on brand health, foresight, and innovation planning.
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Client Growth: She was accountable for project delivery, ensuring alignment across markets and driving client growth.
This period cemented her reputation as a trusted partner to senior leaders, capable of embedding foresight and consumer insights into global strategies.
Early Career at AB InBev
Emma Roberts began her career as a Strategy Analyst at AB InBev in Johannesburg, South Africa. Working with one of the world’s largest brewing companies provided her with client-side experience early in her career. She focused on data-driven insights, client services, and strategy development—skills that would become the foundation of her consulting and foresight expertise.
Leadership Style and Professional Philosophy
Emma Roberts’ career is defined not only by her achievements but also by her approach. She believes the greatest impact comes from:
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Elevating teams and systems to move from good to great.
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Creating repeatable ways of working that enable sustainable growth.
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Building enterprise partnerships grounded in curiosity, collaboration, and trust.
She values people above all else, investing time in mentoring future leaders, building trusted partnerships, and helping individuals and teams flourish. Her combination of strategic acumen and people-centred leadership has consistently delivered long-term growth for businesses and brands.
Conclusion
Emma Roberts stands out as a leader who bridges the gap between foresight and execution. Her career demonstrates the importance of not only anticipating change but also operationalising strategies that drive tangible growth. With a background spanning global markets, industries, and roles, she brings unmatched expertise in helping businesses, brands, and people flourish.
From her early days at AB InBev to her leadership at Foresight Factory, Streetbees, Eurostar, and Consulting by Kantar, Emma Roberts has consistently delivered value. Now based in Sydney, she continues to apply her global perspective with a local focus, making her an invaluable partner for any business looking to shape the future with confidence.
