B2B Division Takes Wing in MENA Region

Kantar firm AMRB has launched a new business-to-business and industrial research division (BIRD) in a move to strengthen its presence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The firm says its new practice will provide research based consultancy in traditional industrial research sectors such as building materials, logistics & transportation, petrochemicals, energy & environment, and manufacturing, as well as in emerging sectors such as IT/telecoms, healthcare and tourism.

AMRB's Indian parent company IMRB has operated a similar research division since 1994. Sukhdev Singh, who will be heading the new practice from the Dubai office, previously worked for IMRB's BIRD division where as Senior Project Director he worked across South Asia, the Far East and the Middle East.

General Manager Gagan Bhalla explained: 'This launch is an important step towards widening our portfolio of offerings. We have so far been primarily focused on catering to the consumer research needs of clients in the FMCG and services sectors - this new service will help us provide a truly diverse and differentiated set of research solutions to a wider marketing and business community.'

Established in 1999, AMRB operates throughout the MENA region via offices in Dubai, Jeddah, Cairo and Algiers. The firm is part of WPP's Kantar group of research companies, which includes BMRB, Lightspeed, Millward Brown and Research International. Web sites: www.amrb-mena.com and www.kantargroup.com.