Alexis Nasard has been hired as the new chief executive of data and insights business Kantar, following almost three decades in the FMCG and retail sector.
Nasard will join from footwear retail company Bata, where he is currently CEO. Prior to Bata, Nasard spent six years at alcohol brand Heineken, culminating in the position of president of Western Europe business and global chief marketing officer. He also spent 17 years at FMCG giant Procter & Gamble, in a range of marketing and management roles.
His appointment as CEO of Kantar will be effective as of December 30.
“Throughout my career Kantar has been a trusted advisor. Kantar’s data, insights and advice informed many of the strategies, as well as communication and commercial plans my teams and I led,” Nasard said.
“As much as I understand Kantar’s heritage and reputation today, it is our future that excites me most. The combination of Kantar’s deep understanding of consumers around the world, our proprietary data sets and our growing expertise in advanced analytics and artificial intelligence puts us in a leading position to reshape the insights and consulting market, whilst offering clients superior analytics they can monetize.
“This will be all the more relevant in the volatile and fluctuating environment we are living in as a consequence of the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, as clients need to operate on very steep learning curves.”
Kantar’s chairman, Adam Crozier, added: “In Alexis we have appointed a world-class CEO. As a former CMO and client he understands the value Kantar delivers, and the role it plays in advising the world’s biggest consumer brands.
“Throughout his career Alexis has built a reputation for innovation, creativity and operational excellence. As we transform our business and position ourselves for growth, Alexis’ leadership and international experience will be instrumental in fulfilling the ambition that we have for Kantar.”
