Joanna Piacenza joins Gravity Research as VP of Thought Leadership

Gravity Research taps leading industry intelligence analyst Joanna Piacenza for its executive team.

Washington, D.C., April 9, 2024 – Societal and reputational intelligence innovator Gravity Research
announced today that Joanna Piacenza, former vice president and head of industry analysis for
Morning Consult, will join Gravity Research as vice president of thought leadership. Reporting to
Luke Hartig, president of the company, and working closely with Daniel Thomas, vice president of
research, and Kendall Seketa, vice president of new products, Piacenza will help Gravity Research
expand its research and advisory services and deepen partnerships with the world’s biggest
companies.


Piacenza’s newly-created position comes as Gravity Research expands its societal and reputational
custom insights in the marketplace, where it currently counts Fortune 500 brands in its portfolio,
including Walmart, Aflac, GM, Bayer, and Genentech. With a well-established reputation in the
research field and work cited in top-tier news outlets and journals, Piacenza brings more than a
decade of high-level expertise in industry intelligence and data-centric business reporting.
“Joanna is an exceptional talent. She has the creativity, commitment to research rigor, and proven
track record to take Gravity Research to the next level. She has been a leading voice on the
intersection of business, media, politics, and reputational risk, which will be an incredible asset to
our work with clients who are navigating today’s most complex issues,” said Hartig.
“Gravity Research has its pulse on the data that chief communications officers and heads of
corporate affairs at major brands need to inform their decisions on societal and reputational
matters. I am excited by their vision, the bespoke approach, and the incredible team who
understand the most important tool for businesses is not the volume of data, it’s the significance,
relevance, and timeliness of the data,” said Piacenza.


Piacenza oversaw all public-facing industry research and analysis at Morning Consult, leading a team
of a dozen analysts in producing actionable insights for clients and readers. In 2017, she joined
Morning Consult, first as a senior reporter before quickly rising to senior data editor and then
ultimately building the industry intelligence division. She started her career in academia as a
research assistant, before serving as the editor for the nonprofit research firm PRRI.

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About Gravity Research
Gravity Research is a research and insights company that empowers organizations to anticipate risk,
spot opportunities, and rationalize reputational concerns against a backdrop of evolving public
pressures. The company works with Fortune 500 C-Suite executives to provide them with actionable
insights that keep them ahead of issues impacting their business, employees, and customers.
Gravity tracks emerging societal issues from the election and LGBTQ+ rights to climate, geopolitics,
DEI, and more to provide clients with the information they need to make smart decisions in an
ever-changing landscape.