The marketing group which owns Stein IAS, The Gate and twentysix has appointed former Kantar CEO, Bart Michels.
Michels joins MSQ as Executive Director and also becomes Executive Chairman of Freemavens.
His role will be to drive the group’s growth and shape its insight and consulting offering.
He spent spent 8 years at Kantar and before that worked for almost 2 decades at WPP. Prior to that he was Group Band and Communications Director at Vodafone, Head of New Brands at The Coca Cola Company and Marketing Manager at Kellogg’s.
“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,” he said.
“This is a very exciting time to be joining such an agile and ambitious group as MSQ. The group has invested significantly in its global tech and data capabilities but also has the talent, creative intelligence and agility to join it all together in a way that can make a big difference for clients.”
Michels is also a board advisor to Stripe Parnters and Codec.
“Today’s fast-paced world requires brands to use sharper insight to deliver more impactful customer experiences,” added Peter Reid, Chief Executive of MSQ.
“As a joined-up, global marketing group we believe we can lead the way in this space, and bringing in someone with Bart’s experience and skillset will enable us to do just that. He 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.”
