Salama’s 18-year tenure as chief executive of Kantar ended in February 2020 after WPP sold 60% of the business to private equity firm Bain Capital.

Alongside his new role at Kantar Public, Eric is also chair of the board of trustees for Comic Relief, a board member at Morning Consult and a board adviser at Phoenix Court VC. 

He has previously served as an adviser to the UK government on e-commerce and business, and as a non-executive at DFID (the Department for International Development).

Earlier in 2022, Kantar announced its plans to sell Kantar Public to private equity company Trilantic Europe. The sale completed on 1^st September, creating a standalone business.

Launched in 2016 by Michelle Harrison, Kantar Public operates in more than 20 countries and employs around 900 people.

Harrison, global chief executive, Kantar Public, said: “Eric and I worked together previously, when I was appointed to the global board of Kantar, with the remit to build the new division of Kantar Public in 2016. From the outset, Eric shared the vision for building a world leading global practice for government and public realm clients, and he was there for the formative years where our strong foundations were laid. 

“We share a desire to deliver better and more sustainable outcomes for the communities which we, and our clients, serve – across public health, sustainability, education and young people, gender and inclusion, economic recovery, poverty and inequality, migration and other complex societal and economic issues.”

Salama said: “After the past two-and-a-half years of Covid, no one doubts the central role which governments and public organisations play in our lives. The complexity of the problems that need to be actively addressed has never been more acute.

“Governments and their citizens recognise the importance of the decisions that they make and the importance of having evidence to make the best choices. All this in an environment where there are trust deficits between citizens, government, business and the media and where misinformation and questions about ‘what’s true’ abound.  

“Against this background, and with Kantar Public’s strong heritage of uncompromised objectivity and commitment to solving these deep-rooted problems, I had no hesitation in accepting the position as the new global chair for Kantar Public.”

The financial terms of Kantar Public’s sale to Trilantic Europe were not disclosed. Anthony Bellau, who led the deal for Trilantic Europe, added: “Eric’s historic involvement with Kantar Public, as well as his deep experience in governance, strategy, operational excellence and culture will be enormously valuable in helping us achieve our key goals of driving performance and sustainable growth. We are looking forward to working closely with him and Michelle.”