Senior Leadership Changes at Research International

Jon Wilkinson, Chairman and CEO of Research International, has announced his intention to retire in June 2004. Roger Banks, currently CEO Mainland Europe, will become Group CEO and report in to Kantar CEO Eric Salama. Colin Buckingham moves to the new role of CEO, Global Business while Mark Penn, once President Clinton's pollster, becomes Non-Executive Chairman of the Group.

Buckingham is currently CEO of the UK company. In his new role, reporting to Roger Banks, he will have management and profit responsibility for the Group's main streams of transnational business - including key international clients and for the Research International Qualitatif network.

'Research International has introduced a series of important strategic changes over the past few years' says Eric Salama, Chairman and CEO of Kantar. 'The positive impact of these changes has begun to come through, but competition is tough and client expectations and demands have increased. We need to make further changes to the orientation of the company and to the structures which govern it. I'm delighted with the new team and with the changes that they are introducing to the way they run the business. Clients will understandably want to see the plan take shape, but when they do they will be thrilled'.

According to incoming CEO Roger Banks the same drivers responsible for the senior changes mean that RI is 'currently on a programme to hire the best talent we can find globally - from a broad range of marketing services backgrounds, not only market research'.

The changes will be progressively implemented between now and May 2004, and further news will appear on DRNO as it emerges.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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