Costin (pictured, left) has been managing director at BVA BDRC since 2013, while Ahmed (pictured, right) has been a director since 2012. Both originally joined the agency as junior researchers.

With Tarrant becoming chairman, fellow co-founder Ian Stevens will retain his position as chief financial officer. Both co-founders will remain active within the business following the promotions of Costin and Ahmed.

Established in 1991, BVA BDRC was acquired by French research and consulting firm BVA Group in 2018 and operates in around 90 countries. 

BVA BDRC Group in the UK consists of BDRC, mystery shopping and store observation firm ESA Retail; digital agency Alligator; operations business Perspective Research Services; and qual recruitment specialist Viewpoint. 

Tarrant said: “After just over 30 years, I am proud to say that BVA BDRC is a leading provider of business intelligence to help clients transform and grow. I have every confidence that Matt and Caroline will apply this mission to our own business, further building the agency’s position at the forefront of research, including rapidly expanding capabilities in behavioural science.”  

Costin said: “I joined BVA BDRC 20 years ago and have seen company achieve stellar growth under Cris and Ian’s leadership. I’m looking forward to building upon this success, as we continue to expand our global footprint and embark on further innovation in the fields of customer experience and branding with our BVA colleagues worldwide.” 

Ahmed added: “We hit the ground running post pandemic with new product launches weaving behavioural science into customer experience measurement. I can’t wait to play an active role in the future of the agency.”