Bart Michels joins MSQ as Executive Director
The former CEO of Kantar Consulting Bart Michels has been named as Executive Director at marketing group MSQ. The firm’s Chief Executive, Peter Reid, noted Michels’ skillset and experience will enable to film to “lead the way” in the holistic marketing space.
Reid went on, “Today’s fast-paced world requires brands to use sharper insight to deliver more impactful customer experiences. [Bart Michels] knows how to get the very best out of a marketing group and its agencies, and more importantly he knows what it takes to help brands and businesses grow. I’m thrilled to have him on board.”
MSQ is a global, tech-enabled marketing group, helping brands earn emotional capital to attract, convert, retain and grow valuable customers. It’s clients include Unilever, Stellantis, Vodafone, Mondelez, Cancer Research UK and Elanco, while it consists of a number of agencies. These incorporate Brave Spark, Holmes & Marchant, MMT Digital, Smarts, MBAstack, Stein IAS, The Gate, Walk-In Media, twentysix, and Freemavens.
Joining MSQ, Michels takes on a board role at the broader company, supporting the development and delivery of the group’s growth strategy as it continues to expand its capabilities in the UK and internationally. He will also become Executive Chairman of Freemavens, MSQ’s insights and analytics consultancy. There, he will work with Freemavens’ leadership team, led by Managing Director Lucy Thompson and Founder Andrzej Moyseowicz, to help shape its evolution and drive effective connection into the wider MSQ proposition.
Michels remarked, “Marketers and insight leaders are looking for more connected ways to get faster, and more creative insights, ideas and in-market impact. The way MSQ is set up and the firepower it brings has the potential to provide clients with another, more effective way. This is a very exciting time to be joining such an agile and ambitious group as MSQ… In Freemavens, MSQ also has a best-in-class insights business at the heart of its capabilities. The agency is a diverse group of brilliant thinkers who understand exactly how to uncover revelations using analytics and data from the world of search and social and beyond, and turn them into competitive advantage for clients.”
Prior to this role, Michels was at Kantar and global marketing giant WPP for 17 years. He became global CEO of Added Value, the network’s marketing strategy and insights consulting business, and ultimately European CEO of Kantar’s combined Consulting Division. Michels started his marketing career client-side, working in Marketing and Brand Strategy at companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Kellogg’s and Coca-Cola, before he became the Group Brand and Communications Director of Virgin Media.
