Lavell joins Kantar from Altrata, part of Euromoney Institutional Investor, where he was global chief executive. The appointment is effective from 22^nd April.

Prior to Altrata, Lavell was chief executive of Euromoney’s IMN and Derivatives businesses and chief operating officer at Institutional Investor in New York. He has also worked as an in-house consultant for British Telecom, Equifax and AC Nielsen.

Based in Kantar’s London office, Lavell will be responsible for growing Kantar’s roster of enterprise clients and expanding its market presence across new sectors.

He will also play a role in developing more global consistency in client development and account management, according to Kantar.

Kantar’s Profiles is the division of Kantar responsible for panel management and the company’s custom research services.

Caroline Frankum, global chief executive, Kantar’s Profiles division, said “James’ appointment is a significant addition to our leadership team as we continue to pursue our ambitious three-year strategic plan to become the industry leader for highest quality panels and world-class sample monetisation.

“James’ role is crucial in strengthening Kantar’s position, delivering the most meaningful data to our clients. James’ unique ability to balance a strategic outlook with meticulous attention to detail makes him the perfect fit to lead our commercial teams to new heights.”