About

The Person Behind NuThinking

Marta Villanueva, MSc., founded NuThinking to be the partner clients call when the question is complex, the stakes are high, and the data alone isn't enough.

Twenty-plus years advising Fortune 500 brands on their hardest decisions. 3,500+ qualitative and strategy sessions. A master's degree in creative problem solving from Buffalo State University: the formal study of how insight becomes decision and a rare credential in qualitative research. And she's bilingual and bicultural, with deep, lifelong expertise in Hispanic/Latino consumer insight.

Portrait of Marta Villanueva against a dark background.

The NuThinking Difference

Industry thought leader across different topics

Honors & Teaching

Recognized by the Craft Itself

Adjunct Professor

Trinity University.

Naomi Henderson Legacy Award

QRCA, Insights Association, and RIVA Training Institute — recognizing leadership, mentorship, and contribution to the qualitative research community.

2015 QRCA Maryanne Pflug Spirit Award

For contribution to the qualitative research community.

Thought Leadership

A Recognized Voice in Qualitative Research

The industry invites Marta to teach its own craft: speaking at IIEX North America, IIEX Latin America, the Insights Association, The Quirk's Event, and QRCA, and writing as a Greenbook Featured Author and for QRCA Views and Quirk's. That same thinking shows up in every client engagement, and it's available to your team directly, as a talk or facilitated session.

Marta Villanueva beside the podium at a QRCA conference. Marta Villanueva on stage beside the Insights Association podium. Marta Villanueva mid-presentation on the IIEX North America stage. Marta Villanueva presenting from a QRCA podium. Marta Villanueva seated on a conference panel, listening. Marta Villanueva presenting beside The Quirk's Event podium.

Invite Marta to Speak or Facilitate

Why Clients Choose Us

Why Teams Trust NuThinking

  • Senior-led engagements. You work directly with Marta on every project. When a challenge calls for more hands, she brings in proven collaborators she has hand-picked over two decades: strategists, storytellers, and visual facilitators, seasoned specialists every time.

  • Trained as well as experienced. Formal creative problem-solving credentials underneath 20+ years of practice.

  • Deep category range. CPG, food and beverage, retail, healthcare, economic development, transportation, tourism, utilities, community development, and many more.

  • A proven track record. Advising Fortune 500 clients on decisions they had to get right.

  • A proven process. A structured path from insight to a decision your team can defend.

Our Promise

Our Bold Promise to You

Make deep consumer insight part of your brand's DNA for go-to-market strategies that connect.

Uncover insights with proven tools that facilitate real strategic recommendations, not just observations.

Empower your team to solve complex business challenges with customized creativity and innovation tools.

Why our clients recommend us

Warmth and empathy, combined with a fierce skill set of qualitative research techniques, are what make the consumer insights strategic and revelatory.

— Education Client

One of the best strategists in the ad business and has helped deliver some of the best work we have done.

— Advertising Client

Uniquely equipped to handle any strategic challenge and consistently delivers above and beyond.

— Strategic Planning Client

Bring Clarity to Your Next Big Decision

If you're tackling a complex challenge and need insight that leads somewhere, let's talk.

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Ready to talk it through?