Sensing new frontiers of consumer insight
Diana Derval’s e-Residency journey reflects her research agency’s unique approach to understanding human behaviour, and sharing their learning for the greater good.
Residency
- Germany
Citizenship
- France
Languages
English
French
German
Dutch
Industry
Research (human cognition and decision-making processes)
About me
I'm Diana Derval, PhD, EMBA, an expert in human behavior and preferences. As the Chair and Research Director of DervalResearch, I lead a globally recognized firm that explores the intricacies of human cognition and decision-making. My work has significantly influenced various industries, transforming how businesses understand and cater to consumer needs.
I am also a Harvard Business Review contributor and serve as a Jury member for the CES Asia Innovation Awards. My innovative contributions include the Hormonal Quotient® (HQ) and the Derval Color Test®, both of which have had a global impact. Embracing Estonia’s e-Residency program has been pivotal for DervalResearch, enabling us to operate seamlessly online and maintain a stable company structure while working globally.
My passion for understanding human behavior extends beyond business. I have written over ten books, including "The Right Sensory Mix," a Berry-AMA prize finalist. I aim to bridge the gap between commercial and academic research, making our findings publicly available to benefit society. This commitment to social impact is reflected in our recent accreditation as a B-Corp, meeting high standards of social and environmental performance.
Living between Berlin and other global cities, I cherish the flexibility that e-Residency provides, allowing me to lead a truly digital company. This approach aligns with my vision of combining technology and nature, fostering a holistic understanding of human behavior.
"Researching human behavior and preferences across the globe, I found the e-Residency program totally aligned with our location-independent company culture. As the Chair of an Estonian B Corp and e-Residency Envoy, I look forward to sharing my experience with other e-residents and promoting people and planet-friendly strategies."
My journey
With e-Residency, you can easily register an EU business online without relocating and free from bureaucracy: great for remote entrepreneurs!
2018
I became an e-resident
I became an e-resident in may 2018. As we conduct research across the globe and work remotely, having a location-independent corporate structure was totally aligned with our company culture. I loved the idea to build a truly digital company. The Estonian model, combining technology and nature, has always fascinated us, and becoming e-residents was a great pride, for me and my fellow board members.
2018
I registered my first company as an e-resident
I set up DervalResearch OÜ in may 2018. We help brands decode customers' behavior and product preferences using biosciences (sensory, microbiome, neuro). Being an Estonian company certainly helped us become a Certified B Corp as our statutes mention that the business should benefit all stakeholders, not just their shareholders. Also, Estonia promotes best practices in terms of ethics and governance: having for instance public access to companies annual reports is adding a lot of transparency.
Service providers I have worked with throughout my journey
We have outsourced all non-research related activities to reliable local partners like for instance Nordic Consult in charge of our accounting and administration in Tallinn. Although all official documents are in Estonian, we were able to successfully complete with our e-resident digital signature otherwise complex tasks like submitting a trademark in just a matter of minutes.