Rihani joins Kantar from wellness startup Hale, where he was interim chief executive. He spent 11 years at Meta between 2012 and 2023, latterly as country director for Sweden and Finland, managing operations across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger.

Rihani has also been on the board of IAB Sverige, the Swedish arm of the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

Based in Stockholm, Kantar’s Swedish business works with local and international organisations including Scania, Polestar and H&M. 

Patrick Gamryd was previously Sweden managing director, having joined Kantar from Dentsu a year ago.

Gonzalo Fuentes, chief executive of Kantar’s insights division in Emea, said: “Sam’s wide-ranging experience in the media and tech sectors make him an asset to Kantar in Sweden at a time when our clients are looking to us to guide them through the challenges that lie ahead.

“I look forward to working with Sam to help our clients shape strategies that are grounded in the connection between consumers, brands and enterprise value.”

Last week, Kantar appointed former Google executive Rika Sharma as executive managing director for its Southeast Asia cluster and Singapore business.