Kantar appoints new joint leaders for Australian consulting wing

With both having been with the marketing firm for around a decade, Colin MacArthur and Mark Kennedy will now take on the mantle of joint consulting managing partners for Kantar in Australia.

Marketing data and analytics firm Kantar has appointed Colin MacArthur and Mark Kennedy as joint managing partners of its Australian consulting business, which supports clients with growth strategy, brand positioning, innovation, and planning and implementation.

The pair have each been with Kantar for around a decade, and together replace Denis Wong who will depart after fifteen years with the firm.

“The promotion of Mark and Colin ensures we are leveraging the unique set of skills housed within our consulting team across our entire Kantar Australia business and full suite of clients,” stated A/NZ managing director Jon Foged, who thanked Wong for his focus on people and culture development, adding; “It’s a great source of pride to have the capabilities already at Kantar to promote from within.”

Colin MacArthur

Based out of Sydney, MacArthur joined Kantar in 2015, in what was a homecoming of sorts after having kicked off his career at Millward Brown in the UK. From there he joined Nunwood, which was bought by KPMG in 2015, before later migrating to Australia and spending a decade between The Leading Edge and Strategic Jigsaw Research, at the latter as business research & strategy director.

Described as a passionate member of the firm’s diversity & inclusion committee, MacArthur said of his appointment; “In this ongoing period of flux and change in the domestic and global markets, my excitement at taking on this role with Mark stems from the prospect of bringing my strategic vision, operational expertise, and client-focused approach to drive growth for both Kantar and our clients.”

Mark Kennedy

Kennedy meanwhile joined Kantar in Sydney just a tick over ten years ago, arriving via local WPP strategic design agency Designworks and earlier regional and global chief strategy roles at Landor and Blue Marlin Brand Design. Altogether he brings three decades worth of international design, marketing, and strategy experience to his new role, amassed across Europe, Australia, the US and Asia.

“I am excited about this partnership as Mark and Colin already have a close and trusted relationship with each other and the wider Kantar team,” stated Foged, who has in recent years helped lead the firm’s consolidation efforts in the region. “They are passionate and enthusiastic leaders, have complementary strengths they can amplify together in the role, and are experts our clients respect.”

The appointments coincide with the fiftieth anniversary celebrations of Millward Brown’s founding in the UK, with the research agency having been bought by WPP in 1990 before later being fully absorbed into Kantar’s insights division upon the global advertising giant’s divestiture of the latter in 2019. Millward Brown alum Allan Breiland was recently appointed as Kantar Australia’s joint head of media effectiveness.