South Africa, Aug. 3 -- The move reflects Kantar's view that brand leadership requires a new kind of intelligence as AI reshapes how people discover and choose what to buy. Colton, who joined from Sky Bet and previously sat on ITV's management board, is building a team designed to connect human behaviour, predictive brand science and AI. Patel will oversee Kantar's brand equity IP, including its Meaningful, Different and Salient (MDS) framework, and shaping its evolution for the AI era.

Patel, who previously spent 22 years with the business, returns to Kantar from MDI (Mobile Digital Insights) where he currently serves as Africa Director of Research. Based in Cape Town, he starts the new role on 3 August.

Dan Colton, global managing dir...