Barns (pictured) retired from Nielsen at the end of 2018, after 21 years with the company and five as chief executive. Prior to Nielsen, he began his career in marketing research at Procter & Gamble.

In 2019, Barns founded advisory firm Second Half Advisors. He also serves on the boards of Growth Catalyst Partners and The Stable, and helps to lead strategy and operations for non-profit organisation the Global Leadership Network.

Stephen Phillips, chief executive, Zappi, said: “Mitch offers a wealth of knowledge that stems from his more than 30 years of experience in market research, which will be highly valuable to the board as we continue to accelerate and grow the company.”