Bateman was previously CEO of brand consultancy Interbrand in the US and has also served as worldwide account director at McCann WorldGroup and worldwide account director for Publicis in New York and London.

Clients he has worked with include Intel, Microsoft, Thomson Reuters, UBS, Dell, Xerox, Barclays and Mars.

Nigel Long, the firm’s chairman and head of parent company Photon’s strategic intelligence division, had been in the role temporarily after the departure of former CEO Mark Sundquist last year.

Long said: “It’s rare to find a high-end practitioner who is a great leader. He has proven he can deliver globally and so will immediately add value to our existing operations as well as the launch of The Leading Edge in the US. We wanted someone with deep global experience and vision and that’s what we’ve got.”

Earlier this week Photon Group appointed Jeremy Philips as chief executive officer.