New Day dawns at Lightspeed Research as Anne Hedde departs

In a statement, Kantar said Hedde was leaving to pursue “a different role at a competitor business”. That business is believed to be Ipsos, but Research was unable to confirm her appointment with the group at the time of publication.

Hedde is handing over her responsibilities to Day over the next few weeks. Day will continue in his role as the company’s European boss for an interim period.

Kantar chairman and CEO Eric Salama said: “I am delighted that we are able to promote from within and to have David as the new CEO. He has built a successful, thriving European business since joining us in 2006 and I have no doubt that he is the right leader for the worldwide business.”

Salama thanked Hedde for her work with the company and her role in industry discussions over data quality issues.