In his new role, Howard (pictured) will report to Lindsay Franke, president and service line cluster leader for Ipsos North America, and will lead the creative excellence team’s research and strategy.

Before taking up his new position, Howard was senior vice-president and has worked with Ipsos Creative Spark and Creative Labs.

Howard also leads Ipsos’ relationship with Effie Worldwide, a non-profit supporting marketing effectiveness, and has represented Ipsos with the Adverting Research Foundation (ARF), both as a Creative Council member and a leader in the ARF’s Workforce Initiative for Diversity & Excellence (WIDE) internship programme.

Franke said: “Following a thorough and very competitive open search for candidates, both externally and internally, it was gratifying to conclude that the most qualified expert was one of our existing leaders.

“Pedr is passionate about creativity in advertising, and has a clear vision for the role brands can play in changing the world for the better. I look forward to seeing how he will further innovate in this space as an industry leader.”