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Ben Arnold

Ben Arnold
Executive Director, Industry Analyst
The NPD Group
15 years in the industry

Black Leaders In Consumer Tech Award Winner 2021

Tell us about your career so far.

My career began in advertising. After graduating college I worked as a media buyer for a large agency in Manhattan. I used market research to study consumers’ media habits and make recommendations to my clients on where to place ads. Eventually, I chose to focus on research and insights full time and that led me to tech.

Describe your current role.

As an industry analyst, I advise companies on retail trends, forecast sales, and conduct research on consumers to understand their technology habits and behaviors. I tend to focus on individual categories within tech but am also studying the shifts impacting sales at a macro level.

What could the CE industry do to improve on diversity and inclusion?

I think our industry should provide more support to African American students and young professionals who are interested in a career in tech. Our industry has so many opportunities to offer people from diverse backgrounds. Efforts such as mentoring, offering unique internships, or looking for candidates in new areas can make a big impact on people who may not have thought they had a place in the industry.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

Not having a deep background in technology when I graduated from college, I’m proud that I found a place in the industry. I’m proud to represent myself and my company whenever I deliver presentations to clients and other organizations. This is a cool industry and I’m happy to play a role in it.

What technology are you most interested in at the moment?

I’m all about AR and VR right now. There is a tremendous amount of energy in the space and I’m interested to see what kinds of products the big technology companies will produce. I am intrigued by all the different possible applications for AR/VR- healthcare, education and training, entertainment- there is so much potential and it is moving fast.