Smythe (pictured) is the owner of market research consultancy Culture of Insight, which he will continue to run alongside overseeing day-to-day operations at UKOM.

He will also work with Nielsen, who are responsible for producing the data for the UKOM system, to ensure that advertisers and agencies remain satisfied with the service.

Smythe replaces Peter Bowman who steered the organisation through to the official launch of the measurement system in January.

Earlier in his career Smythe was a project manager at the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), head of market research at GCap and head of sports research at BMRB.

UKOM chairman – and RAB founder – Douglas McArthur said: “James has a mix of serious research expertise and great understanding of how agencies work, making him an excellent manager for UKOM. Having worked with James before, I know that he will deliver on his central responsibility of embedding UKOM in the brand planning processes.”