Kantar's Center Partners Names New Top Team

Kantar's US call center business Center Partners has appointed Jim Dunn as Chief Executive Officer, and Tom Maddux as President, while Chris Kneeland remains in post as Chief Operating Officer. The team takes over from Bob Meyers, who has been interim CEO since April.

Center Partners was co-founded in 1997 by David Geiger and Richard Keith who later sold the business to WPP. The firm provides contact center and web solutions for sales, customer service, technical support, outbound campaigns, and order entry/fulfillment, for clients in the retail, financial services, consumer electronics, telecoms and wireless sectors, and has 4,000 employees in six locations across Colorado, Idaho and Washington.

Dunn joins with more than 30 years' experience in the services, information, and telecoms industries. Most recently, he led the acquisition and subsequent divestiture of TelStar Hosted Services, prior to which he held senior roles at GE ITS, SITEL, Stream International, Access Graphics, Oppenheimer, Funds and Kemper.

BPO (business process outsourcing) and KPO (knowledge process outsourcing) specialist Maddux most recently served as VP of Global Emerging Markets for Convergys, before which he was Group President at SITEL and Apex CoVantage, and held executive roles at BISYS, Wachovia and American Security Group (a subsidiary of Fortis).

The trio take over from Meyers, who previously served as CEO of Kantar Shared Services, Chairman of TNS, CEO of Research International, and CEO of Millward Brown. Dunn reports to Kantar CEO Eric Salama, and Maddux reports to Dunn.

Separately, last month the firm confirmed that it would be laying off up to 600 workers and closing one of its two Fort Collins offices by the beginning of December, with Kneeland citing 'changing business needs' as the reason behind these moves. At the time, she said that further changes are not anticipated.

Web site: www.centerpartners.com .