Caroline Davey, formerly Caroline Baxter, has formally taken up the role as CEO of Barb.
Davey had been named the successor to former CEO Justin Sampson in March. She joined the TV measurement company in 2022 and was previously promoted to chief operating officer in 2024.
Sampson will continue to work with Barb as a consultant beginning in September. In this role, he will continue leading the development and execution of Barb’s public-interest communications strategy, which has long made the case for independent, jointly-governed audience measurement as an important foundation of a transparent and healthy media ecosystem.
The change comes amid a wider leadership restructure that has resulted in the promotion of two additional members of Barb’s senior leadership team.
Luca Vannini, formerly head of campaign audiences since joining in 2024, has been appointed director of partnerships and communications.
Vannini has lead the development and delivery of total campaign reporting across linear and video-on-demand (VOD) services, including overseeing the launch of the Barb Ads Hub earlier this year. In his new role, he will be tasked with leading Barb’s external communication strategy and managing partnerships with key stakeholders and clients.
Meanwhile, Khaled El Serafy, who joined Barb in 2023 in the newly created role of head of data science, has been promoted to director of data and technology.
El Serafy helped launch the Barb Data Hub last year and is actively managing the development of Barb Panel Plus prototypes.
Barb’s leadership team is rounded out by Sara Cheeseman, who will continue to work as finance director.
The joint-industry-currency (JIC) is also recruiting for a new leadership role, however, seeking candidates for a head of strategic developments.
“Barb plays an essential role in helping our industry understand what people watch across the growing range of services and devices available to them,” Davey commented.
“Khaled and Luca have already made significant contributions to our strategic development programme, and their appointments will help us maintain momentum as we continue to deliver trusted, independent audience measurement in a changing market.”
Barb names Caroline Baxter next CEO
