Lightspeed appoints new CEO and chairman

UK – Kantar has announced a new leadership line-up at its digital data collection specialist, Lightspeed, following the departure of its CEO, David Day, for a role at the UK Foreign Office.

Caroline Frankum, previously CEO, Europe Middle East and Africa, has been promoted to global CEO while Nick Nyhan becomes chairman of Lightspeed in addition to his role as chief digital officer at Kantar.

The appointments are effective from April.

Frankum joined Lightspeed in June 2016 after seven and a half years at Hall & Partners, the last three as CEO, EMEA. She previously spent 15 years client-side in a variety of research and marketing roles predominantly at media businesses including Sky, UKTV and Fox Kids/Jetix.

Nyhan has been with Kantar since his digital research company Dynamic Logic was acquired in 2005 and later merged into Kantar Millward Brown. He has been chief digital officer at Kantar since 2010.

Kantar CEO Eric Salama said: “We have a strong management team at Lightspeed which will be enhanced by promoting Caroline from within and bringing Nick into the management. They are the kind of digital, client-centric people that we are proud to have leading our brands. I have no doubt that they will build on the strong foundations and successful model which currently exists. Many thanks to David Day for all he did over the years and we wish him well in his new role.”