Kantar launches new arm for Governments and Public Sector

Professional services firm Kantar has launched a new arm that focuses purely on Government and Public Sector clients. The new business line, named Kantar Public, brings together expert teams from Kantar’s footprint across 12 countries, and will work with more than 40 Governments around the world, as well as many leading universities, NGOs and semi-public institutions.

With over 30,000 employees and clients in 100+ countries, Kantar, a subsidiary of WPP, is one of the world’s largest market research data, insight and marketing consultancy companies. 

In a bid to bolster its service portfolio to organisations in the public domain, Kantar has decided to bundle its offerings and teams into a new, global platform: Kantar Public. The new arm brings together Kantar’s expert sector teams from Kantar TNS, Kantar Millward Brown, Kantar IMRB and Kantar IBOPE, and will provide consulting, research and analytical services from offices in Amsterdam, Brussels, Delhi, London, Munich, Nairobi, Paris, Sao Paolo, Seoul, Sydney, Warsaw and Yangon.

Commenting on the launch of Kantar Public, Eric Salama, Kantar’s CEO, says: “We are proud of the work that we do in the public sector, which is growing fast. Its increasing importance in stimulating behavioural change in many aspects of societies requires the kind of expert resource and investment that Kantar Public will provide.” Kantar Public will, according to the CEO, advise in the delivery of public policy, public services and public communications, synthesise innovations in marketing science and support organisations with adopting data analytics, among others.

Kantar Public will work closely together with WPP’s Government & Public Sector practice, a collaboration which will allow for a “holistic approach to issues”, says Salama. To lead the new unit, the CEO has appointed Michelle Harrison, previously Global Head of the Political and Social Practice at Kantar TNS, as Global CEO. She will, in a dual, role also serve as Chair of Kantar Public UK and CEO of the WPP Government & Public Sector practice, a role which she currently holds.

Looking ahead, Harrison says she is confident Kantar Public can build up a presence in the professional services space. “I believe we have a unique toolkit, backed by a world leading research infrastructure, and are ideally placed to assist our clients in government, the public sector and global institutions.” 

Last month Kantar, with the aim of creating a more unified look and feel, harmonised the brand of its twelve operating groups globally.