Friend will report to Ipsos North America CEO Jim Smith and Ipsos MediaCT’s global chief Richard Silman, while MediaCT business heads Brian Cruickshank, EVP of US Tech/Com, and Bob Shullman, president of Ipsos Mendelsohn, report to Friend, as do the OTX Media and Entertainment Insights management teams that oversee the worldwide motion picture and digital media divisions.

Prior to the Ipsos takeover earlier this year, Friend (pictured) was president of client development at OTX. He’s also a former senior vice president of research for the worldwide marketing group of film studio Columbia Tristar, and has held research roles at MTV Networks, The Disney Channel, HBO and Telemundo Group. Friend has worked on the agency side for Saatchi & Saatchi and Y&R Advertising.

“Throughout his career, Bruce has been immersed in understanding how the evolution of technology has radically changed people’s behaviour and attitudes about media, distribution platforms and entertainment content over time,” said Jim Smith.

Meanwhile Friend’s old boss, former OTX chief executive Shelley Zalis, has been appointed head of Ipsos’s Global Innovation Centre.