Kantar appoints ex-ITV chief Adam Crozier as chairman

LONDON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Data analytics company Kantar has
appointed Adam Crozier as non-executive chairman, bringing the
experienced former TV, mail and advertising boss to the group as
it starts a new phase under the ownership of Bain Capital.

Crozier, 56, was CEO of British commercial broadcaster ITV
from 2010 to 2017, steering the company through a tough
decade for the media industry by reducing its reliance on
advertising and expanding its production business.

He has also been CEO of Royal Mail and the English
Football Association, as well as joint-CEO of advertising giant
Saatchi & Saatchi.

The announcement comes as Kantar embarks on a new phase of
development: in December private equity group Bain completed its
purchase of a 60% stake in the group, while former owner WPP
retained the rest.

Stuart Gent, managing director of Bain Capital, said Crozier
had advised Bain on the Kantar acquisition.

"His experience of advertising, media, retail and
technology, alongside his track record of guiding management
teams on transformation journeys, make him an excellent
appointment to support Kantar in their next phase of growth,"
Gent said.

Crozier said Kantar's opportunity for growth lies in the
impact it delivers for clients - including household brands and
tech giants such as Facebook and Google.

This is the second time in two months that Kantar has
appointed a former ITV executive. In January Ian Griffiths was
named Kantar's chief financial officer, after ten years at ITV.

Long-time chief executive, Eric Salama, said in December
that he would step down during 2020. He told the Financial Times
this was a personal decision after he was stabbed in an
attempted carjacking in London in January 2019. His successor
has not yet been appointed.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)