New leadership for Synovate in China and Norway

Eliza Wong has been given the role of CEO at Synovate Greater China where she will oversee the existing leadership teams in the China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

She joined the firm in 2005 as operations director following spells with ACNielsen and Environics West in both Hong Kong and Canada.

Synovate’s global CEO Robert Philpott said: “These changes allow us an even greater focus on and alignment with our clients’ needs in these markets… Many of our clients are organised in this way, so it only makes sense for us to mirror their structure to ensure synergies and full coordination.”

Meanwhile, Synovate has promoted Ulf Andersen to CEO of its Scandinavian business units and Bjørn Jacobsen to commercial director for Synovate Norway.

Andersen will continue to act as managing for Synovate Norway but will now be given overall responsibility for operations in Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

The managing directors in Sweden and Denmark – Karin Nelsson and Klaus Mikkelsen respectively – will continue in their roles with “support and coaching” from Andersen.

Andersen will be supported in Norway by Bjørn Jacobsen, who has been promoted to commercial director where he will manage all Norwegian research departments and take overall leadership of client development in the country.

Peter Huijboom, CEO of Synovate Western Europe said of Andersen: “”He has an extensive and varied background in research management, leading everything from departments, global offerings and country business units. He started his career as a researcher, and has been exposed to management positions in all aspects of our business – operations and commercial, local and global. This type of experience makes him the perfect choice to continue to build our client relationships in Scandinavia,.”