Haupt is leaving SAARF at the end of March and will take up his new position on 1 April.

“Now entering its fifteenth year, PAMRO has reached the stage where it requires the dedicated attention of its own executive director, having been ably administered by the SAARF team since its inception,” read a statement.

“PAMRO’s long-term vision is to foster the establishment of joint-industry committees across Africa to provide clients, including multinationals, with a single platform for reading and comparing media audience research data across Africa.”

Haupt’s new role is not a full-time post, but is “nonetheless an important step”, said PAMRO president Josiah Kimanzi. “We are excited about Dr Haupt’s appointment because we believe that someone with his pedigree, audience research acumen and immense wealth of experience will greatly accelerate PAMRO’s agenda.”