Kantar Brings in New CEO as Businesses Separate

Kantar has appointed former Accenture exec Paul Zwillenberg to lead its Insights / Profiles business, with the separation of Numerator under its own Chief Exec now well advanced. Zwillenberg joins the company this month, and Group CEO Chris Jansen will leave the business during Q1 2026 after a substantial handover period.

Jansen, who had earlier steered the UK's Automobile Association (AA) to a stock market flotation, has led Kantar Group since July 2021, steadying the ship after a period without a CEO and then the rapid departure of Alexis Nasard, who lasted just four months. During Jansen's tenure, the group has completed the divestment of a number of units, notably Reputation Intelligence (now Onclusive); Kantar Public; and Kantar Media - as well as its remaining healthcare units. Explaining the latest changes this morning in an internal message, Jansen said Numerator - including Worldpanel - was now running independently from Kantar Insights / Profiles, under a separate Board and governance structure. As a result, he noted, 'My role as Group CEO has fundamentally changed. As such, over Q1 2026 I will oversee the final separation of the businesses and the reduction in corporate centre support. My responsibilities will be completed at some point in Q1 2026, at which time I will step down from my Group CEO role and leave Kantar.' His next move is not known at this time.

Zwillenberg (pictured) will be based in the USA, and brings more than 30 years of experience across media, technology and entertainment. He joins from Accenture, where he was Vice Chair Reinvention, and Global Leader of Media and Entertainment Strategy, and before this spent six years as CEO of Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT), leading the transformation of the group's consumer media, events and information services companies prior to going private in 2022. Earlier he was Senior Partner and Managing Director at BCG, leading the consulting group's Global Media Practice, also for six years; and spent eight years as a Partner at advisory services firm OC&C Strategy Consultants.

Jansen says of the appointment: 'Over the past four years, we have strategically refocused Kantar's portfolio and value proposition... Now is the right time to introduce a new dedicated leader for Kantar. In Paul, we have a brilliant new leader with a world-class reputation for digital innovation, operational leadership, and client-centric, long-term growth.'

Group Chairman Adam Crozier thanked Jansen for his 'outstanding leadership in the significant transformation of Kantar,' and stated: 'Today, it is a fundamentally better and healthier business than the one he inherited four years ago. We see from client feedback that we are more highly valued and regarded today than ever before. In Paul we have found the right inspirational leader for Kantar's next phase, to deliver even more value to our clients and grow the Kantar business. I am enormously optimistic for the future of the business under Paul's vision and leadership.'

Web site: www.kantar.com .