Cunliffe (pictured) was most recently associate project director at Opinium, where she led the project management team, working on operational strategy, process improvement and the implementation of new technologies.

She has around 20 years of experience in research operations and online quantitative research, and has overseen UK and international research programmes during her career.

Prior to Opinium, she held senior operational roles at 2CV, where she worked for 14 years.

At The Nursery, Cunliffe will lead the agency’s research operations function, supporting the delivery of research programmes for clients, as well as helping the business to scale and continue investing in innovation.

Melanie Bigoni, managing director at The Nursery Research & Planning, said: "Anne brings a rare combination of deep operational expertise, commercial understanding and people leadership.

"Throughout her career she has demonstrated a real talent for building strong teams, improving ways of working and delivering operational excellence at scale."

The Nursery became an employee-owned business in 2020.