AI and product strategy
Human-centered AI adoption, Copilot and enterprise-AI value, agentic workflows, future-of-work research, and competitive positioning for product and go-to-market teams.
Tanya Pinto at Baal Dan
Research · Strategy · Social impact
Tanya Pinto
Consultant. Advisor. AI Researcher. Nonprofit Founder. Storyteller.
Connecting ideas, people, and purpose. Turning insight into action across business, technology, and social impact.
25+years across research, strategy, and communications
13years in brand leadership at The Richards Group
20+years building Baal Dan Charities
9+years at Microsoft as a Principal UX and Market Research leader
About Tanya
Make the complex clear. Make the insight useful.
Tanya Pinto is a global research and AI strategy leader and brand and communications strategist. Across more than 25 years, she has worked at the intersection of enterprise AI research, commercial brand strategy, and mission-driven social impact.
As a Principal UX Researcher at Microsoft, she studies how emerging AI technologies are reshaping the way people work, learn, collaborate, and make decisions. Her work combines qualitative and quantitative research, strategic foresight, market intelligence, behavioral science, and executive storytelling to help organizations anticipate change and identify opportunities for innovation.
Where she works
Three disciplines. One human-centered lens.
From early product questions to clear executive narratives, Tanya helps teams understand what people need and decide what to do next.
Research leadership
Mixed-methods programs spanning global customer panels, qualitative fieldwork, ethnography, segmentation, journey mapping, pricing research, and executive-ready synthesis.
Storytelling and influence
Executive narratives, brand strategy, communications, public speaking, partnership development, fundraising, and stories that make complex work matter to real people.
Research and product
Human-centered AI, enterprise adoption, workplace intelligence, agentic systems, strategic foresight, mixed methods, fieldwork, ethnography, global panels, segmentation, pricing and SKU modeling, journey mapping, personas, and feature-impact studies.
Brand and communication
Brand positioning, naming, identity, messaging, executive synthesis, thought leadership, cause marketing, partnership development, media kits, copywriting, video production, facilitation, and public speaking.
Professional services
From the first question to the story people remember.
Flexible advisory, research, strategy, and communication support for organizations working through complex change.
- 01
AI and Product Strategy Advisory
Human-centered AI adoption, Copilot and enterprise-AI value and pricing research, agentic-workflow use cases, and competitive positioning. Move beyond prompt experimentation to business-backed workflows that address real friction for executives, IT teams, and employees.
- 02
Research-as-a-Service
End-to-end mixed-methods programs: customer panels, ethnography, segmentation, journey and persona mapping, executive-ready synthesis, and research-operations modernization.
- 03
Brand Development and Rebranding
Brand promise and positioning, naming, identity, logos, standards, messaging, and full rebrands through mergers, leadership changes, and business transitions.
- 04
Nonprofit, NGO, Cause Marketing and CSR
Brand-cause partnerships, nonprofit communications, fundraising strategy, and impact storytelling informed by work with World Vision, charity: water, UNHCR, and Save the Children.
- 05
Communications, Storytelling and Content
Executive narratives, media kits, thought leadership, social-media growth, copywriting, storyboarding, and short-form video and field production.
- 06
Speaking, Facilitation and Workshops
Keynotes, panels, moderation, and research and insights facilitation for teams, conferences, and organizations navigating change.
Creative collaboration
For projects that call for additional craft, Tanya partners with a trusted network of designers, illustrators, film and video editors, copywriters, and researchers.
Ideal client profile
The right insight for the next important decision.
- Enterprise product and AI teamsSeeking customer evidence, adoption strategy, agentic-workflow use cases, or a stronger business case for AI.
- Brands in transitionNavigating a rebrand, new leadership, a merger, market change, or a sharper value proposition.
- Nonprofits and foundationsBuilding brand-cause partnerships, fundraising strategy, communications, and credible impact stories.
- Startups and growing companiesNeeding senior research, brand, or go-to-market perspective without the overhead of a large agency.
A distinctive combination
Few consultants work credibly across enterprise AI research, commercial brand strategy, and mission-driven social impact.
Tanya combines rigorous evidence with the creative and communications craft to make insights land and drive action. Whether the question is what to build, how to position it, or how to earn trust, the work starts with people and ends with a clear next move.
Selected experience
Different worlds. Shared purpose.
Commercial creativity, global research, and humanitarian work have continually informed one another.
- 01
Microsoft
Principal UX Researcher
Nearly a decade across worldwide market research and UX research, including Copilot and Microsoft 365 enterprise research. Studies have explored adoption, AI-native behaviors, intelligent agents, role journeys, workflow redesign, multimodal experiences, and the future of work.
- 02
Baal Dan Charities
Founder and president
Built and leads a volunteer-run public charity connecting donors with trusted grassroots organizations supporting children through food, education, care, and essential infrastructure across 14 countries.
- 03
Shakti Consulting
Research, brand, and communications strategy
Advised mission-driven organizations through research, humanitarian communications, brand strategy, and field storytelling, including work with World Vision and other global partners.
- 04
The Richards Group
Advertising and brand leadership
Led brand management, account planning, integrated campaigns, and cause-marketing partnerships for consumer, technology, and nonprofit clients.
Selected brand experience
Across sectors, markets, and communities.
Experience includes work completed in-house, through consulting, and while at The Richards Group.
Humanitarian and nonprofit
World Vision International, UNHCR, Save the Children, charity: water, Buckner International, Medical Teams International, American Heart Association, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, United Way, World Food Programme.
Technology, consumer, and B2B
Microsoft, Nokia, Sabre, Travelocity, Lagardère, Envision Golf, FracTest, Hurst Metallurgical, and Janjoon Jewelry.
Healthcare and agencies
Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, Children’s Health, MD Anderson Cancer Center, The Richards Group, The Additive Agency, Ketchum, Tribal Brands, and Rev-D.
Humanitarian perspective
Good strategy starts with listening.
Field experience in orphanages, refugee camps, and communities facing food insecurity grounds Tanya’s work in the realities behind the research. Through Baal Dan Charities, she has helped connect donor support with trusted local organizations serving children.
Explore Tanya’s work with Baal DanClient reviews
Trusted for insight, care, and follow-through.
“Tanya Pinto is a detailed and result oriented communication and branding consultant. She has an excellent work ethic and cross cultural sensitivity. She has a deep knowledge and understanding of branding.”
“Tanya became an extension of the brand team and I felt she represented the brand as if it were her own. She set us up for future success.”
“Tanya is a remarkable woman, so able to be diffusely aware of the many simultaneous thoughts in the room, while able to pick out the individual gems of wisdom to construct the work product.”
Recognition and ideas
Work that travels beyond the brief.
Everyday Hero Lifetime Achievement AwardMarketing Research Education Foundation
One Microsoft AwardResearch and Worldwide Education Marketing partnership
Award of HonorPublic Relations Society of America, Dallas Chapter
John Curtin Medal of HonorCurtin University, for leadership and humanitarian service
Award for Uplifting Human ValuesSri Sri Ravi Shankar Foundation
Continue the conversation