Kantar appoints Paul Zwillenberg as chief executive officer
Kantar, a London-headquartered market research and analytics consultancy, has hired former Accenture vice chair Paul Zwillenberg as chief executive officer, effective January 1, 2026.
Zwillenberg, who is based in New York, will succeed Chris Jansen, who has led Kantar Group since 2021. Jansen will support the leadership transition and step down from the company in January.
“Over the past four years we have strategically refocused Kantar’s portfolio and value proposition,” Jansen said. “It is now an indispensable brand partner to the world’s most important companies, providing them with insights and guidance to shape their brand futures.”
Bain Capital in 2019 acquired a majority of Kantar from WPP, which remains a significant minority owner. Kantar is in the process of operationally separating its Numerator business, which it acquired in 2021 in a deal valued at approximately $1.5 billion.
Kantar’s owners were in March exploring the sale of the Worldpanel division for $6.5 billion, according to a Sky News report. The Financial Times has also reported that Kantar’s owners are seeking to break up and sell the company.
“In Paul we have found the right inspirational leader for Kantar’s next phase, to deliver even more value to our clients and grow the Kantar business,” said Adam Crozier, chairman of Kantar Group. “I am enormously optimistic for the future of the business under Paul’s vision and leadership.”
Zwillenberg brings more than 30 years of experience in the TMT sector. He most recently spent a year as vice chair for reinvention and global leader of media and entertainment strategy at Accenture. Before that, he spent six years as CEO of Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), where he led a strategic transformation and a delisting from the London stock market.
Before that, Zwillenberg spent six years at Boston Consulting Group, where he was global leader of the media sector. Earlier in his career, he spent eight years at OC&C Strategy Consultants, where he was a partner and leader of the TMT practice.
Zwillenberg has a bachelor’s degree from Duke University.
“Since its inception over fifty years ago, Kantar has been a world leader in marketing data and analytics, giving brands the rigorous research and insight they need to reach more customers, better, faster and with greater relevance,” Zwillenberg said. “I can’t wait to build on the fantastic progress made since the 2019 Bain Capital acquisition by harnessing the potential of AI to do even more for our clients, bringing them the very best from the cutting edge of branding and marketing solutions to help them grow.”
Kantar has more than 20,000 employees across 90 markets.
