Wade (pictured) will be responsible for developing GfK’s global retail strategy and will report to GfK’s chief customer officer, Christian Erlandson.

Wade joins from retail group Metro AG where he has been global director since 2016. He has held several management positions in blue-chip consumer businesses including Iglo Group, Danone Baby Nutrition, Kimberly Clark and Mars. He started his career at Procter & Gamble in 1993. 

Erlandson said: “While transforming our company from a traditional market research organisation into an indispensable, trusted data and analytics partner, retail remains one of our focus areas. So Olivier-Thomas is a very important addition to our team. He is a renowned expert in the development of global strategies and their local implementation and has a successful track record on both retailer and supplier side.”