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Kantar makes management changes at IMRB International
MUMBAI: Kantar has announced a change of leadership at IMRB International, which will see Preeti Reddy take over from long-serving president Thomas Puliyel when he retires in August, this year.
Reddy, currently senior vice-president, will work alongside Puliyel during the next few months as the transition takes effect. Once president, she will report to Kantar president Wayne Levings.
Levings commented, “Thomas has made an outstanding contribution to IMRB and the broader Indian research market throughout his long and distinguished career. Under his leadership, IMRB has continued to improve and innovate around its offering, expanded into new markets and sectors and has been consistently recognised as the leading research agency in India. He leaves with our thanks and best wishes for his retirement.”
Levings further added, “In Preeti, we have an excellent new leader of IMRB. She brings a combination of strong client leadership, general management and consulting capabilities. With the very strong leadership team she has around her, IMRB will continue to build on its world-class foundations.”
Reddy has close to three decades of experience in research and consulting, working with leading Indian and multinational companies. She joined the IMRB group in 2009 when she was appointed CEO of LMRB in Sri Lanka. She has previously worked in consumer consulting at Technopak, was senior vice-president at TNS India and has worked with the BAT group in India.
Reddy said, “I’m delighted to be leading such a diversified and vibrant business which continues to define research in the region. We have a great team of experienced and highly competent managers to head our different businesses and I look forward to working with them to build IMRB into an even bigger and better business.”
In other management changes, effective 1 February, 2015, Jasojit Mookerjea, currently responsible for International Business Unit (IBU) senior vice-president and IMRB One joint head will take on full responsibility for IMRB One as well as heading change management and managing the key account directors within the company.
Currently IBU BAT global account director and vice president Sreeram Sreenivasan will take overall charge as IBU senior vice-president based in London. Diptya Mukherjee will continue in his role as IBU vice-president based in Calcutta. The management team at IBU is being further strengthened under the leadership of Sreenivasan and Mukherjee and the proposed changes will be communicated in due course.
Senior vice-president Vivek Gupta will head the Auto, BFSI and Telecom sectors, while the Brand Science business will be merged into IMRB One.
Puliyel joined IMRB in 1981 as manager, overseas projects and remained with the company until 1992 before moving to set up Research International India as country manager. He returned to IMRB as president in 2000. The company has been named research agency of the year eight times since 2005 and Puliyel has twice served as president of the Market Research Society of India.
Puliyel said, “IMRB is a wonderful place to work in. The open, empowered work environment is a great magnet for the best research talent. The freedom that the company provides makes it a great place to learn and realize one’s potential.”
People
BBC appoints Matt Brittin as 18th Director-General
Former Google EMEA president to lead broadcaster from May amid global change
LONDON: The BBC has named Matt Brittin as its 18th Director-General, placing a seasoned technology and media leader at the helm of one of the world’s most influential public broadcasters. He will formally assume the role on 18 May.
Brittin steps into the position after a brief “gap year”, as he described it, returning to the spotlight with a job that, in his own words, was “probably not one either you or I were expecting”. The appointment signals a strategic tilt towards digital expertise at a time when traditional broadcasting continues to evolve at pace.
The new Director-General brings more than 18 years of experience from Google, where he held several senior roles, including President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. During his tenure, he played a central role in expanding the company’s footprint across Europe and shaping its regional strategy.
More recently, Brittin served as Senior Independent Director at The Guardian, adding boardroom insight from one of Britain’s leading news organisations. His career also spans roles at McKinsey, Trinity Mirror and Sainsbury’s, giving him a broad perspective across media, retail and strategy.
The Director-General position carries dual responsibility as chief executive officer and editor-in-chief, overseeing the BBC’s creative, editorial and operational direction both in the UK and globally. It is a role that demands not just leadership, but a steady editorial compass in an increasingly complex media landscape.
“Now, more than ever, we need a thriving BBC that works for everyone in a complex, uncertain and fast changing world,” Brittin said. He added that the broadcaster remains “an extraordinary, uniquely British asset” with a legacy of innovation in storytelling and technology.
His appointment comes at a moment when public service broadcasters are under pressure to balance tradition with transformation, navigating shifting audience habits, digital disruption and funding debates. Brittin’s blend of Silicon Valley scale and British media sensibility may prove timely.
With “big challenges and big opportunities” ahead, Brittin appears ready to get started. The real test begins in May, when he moves from anticipation to action at Broadcasting House.
