Poynter gives up his role of managing director of consultancy The Future Place, passing the reins to Helen Bartlett. He also stands down as organiser of the NewMR social network and events group, with co-founder Sue York taking over.

Explaining the move in his blog, Poynter said he wanted to “roll up my sleeves and help create something tangible”.

“Although community panels have expanded massively in North America and Australia, their growth in the UK and Europe has been patchy,” he said. “This represents a missed opportunity for European clients, who could be benefiting from faster, cheaper and more flexible research.”

At Vision Critical, Poynter will work alongside European sales boss Kris Hartvigsen and senior vice president of research Mike Stevens.