Mark Read has been appointed Chairman of the newly formed Board of Directors at Kantar Media. He has had a long career in the advertising and media industry, most recently as CEO of WPP from 2018 to 2025. Prior to that he led strategy for WPP, oversaw its early expansion into digital media through WPP Digital and was CEO of Wunderman, a global digital agency. He has advocated for the role of technology in business transformation and supported WPP’s investments in AI, including the development of WPP Open and the acquisition of Satalia.
Kantar Media, a global leader in media measurement and analytics operating in over 80 countries, announced today the appointment of Read as Chairman of its newly formed Board of Directors.
Kantar Media was recently sold by Kantar Group and Bain Capital to H.I.G. Capital. The transaction concluded in August of this year, and this newly formed Board is the first fully independent Board for the company.
“Kantar Media serves a unique and essential role in the media ecosystem – helping advertisers, agencies, media owners and platforms understand how people are consuming media and how best to direct their media investments. I am delighted to join Kantar Media’s board as Chairman, and to support Patrick and his Leadership team in bringing greater clarity to the media ecosystem at a time when audience behaviour is changing more rapidly than ever”, said Read.
“We are honoured that Mark has chosen to join Kantar Media’s Board at a pivotal moment in our company’s journey. Mark combines deep strategic thinking with practical experience in transformation, data and AI, and most importantly he shares our ambition to transform the industry by bringing clarity to a complex landscape. I have every confidence that with his support Kantar Media will continue to deliver best in class results for our clients globally” said Patrick Béhar, CEO of Kantar Media.
“Mark’s appointment underscores our commitment to backing Kantar Media with exceptional leadership. His deep industry knowledge and proven track record in driving transformation and innovation will be invaluable as Patrick and his team take the company into its next phase of growth,” said Nishant Nayyar, Managing Director at H.I.G. Capital.
