New York, NY: JUNE 26, 2025: Kantar, the world’s leading marketing data and analytics company, recently announced two key executive appointments in North America, bringing new energy to how the company connects brands with consumers to drive sustainable long-term growth. Jeremy Coen was appointed Chief Brand Solutions Officer North America and Aaron Smith was named Managing Partner, Strategic Consulting.
As the Chief Brand Solutions Officer, Coen is responsible for leading Kantar's Brand Performance business, spearheading the company's efforts to drive commercial success and brand value for Kantar clients. He will lead an extensive team of brand experts to provide distinctive experiences to Kantar clients across the United States and Canada and report to Wayne Levings, CEO of Kantar North America. Coen initially joined Kantar in 1998, leading the Central Region for Kantar and the U.S. relationships with Molson Coors and Nestle, and global relationship with McDonald's and Kraft. He also held roles focused on brand building at Nielsen IQ and Morning Consult. Coen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Bradley University.
Smith will take the role of Managing Partner, Strategic Consulting, reporting to James Potter, Chief Brand Strategy and Consulting Officer. Smith will drive comprehensive brand transformation initiatives and focus on delivering compelling, unified brand experiences to clients while driving engagement across all touchpoints. Before joining Kantar, Smith spent 17 years at Prophet, working with global clients like GE, Exxon Mobil, Moen, Best Buy, Target, and U.S. Bank. Following Prophet, he served as Global Chief Client Officer at Wavemaker, a WPP media agency. Most recently, he was a Global Principal at Wolff Olins where he oversaw large brand transformation efforts (i.e., spin-offs, mergers, brand refreshes, etc.) for clients such as United, Chevron, Kenvue, Bloomberg, and Allspring Global Investments.
"There has never been a more transformative, yet unpredictable time for brands. Jeremy has the perfect combination of creativity, tenacity, and experience to lead our Brand Performance team,” Levings stated. "He will lead an extensive team of brand experts to provide competitive advantages and actionable insights to Kantar clients across the United States and Canada, strengthening Kantar's market research capabilities and brand solutions throughout the region.”
This strategic leadership shift reinforces Kantar’s client commitment to brand evolution, understanding consumer engagement, ensuring clients are well-positioned for the future.
Potter commented, “Our clients look to us as their partner along their brand and growth journey. We deliver that through a combination of world-class solutions and expert consulting teams. Aaron brings a depth of brand expertise and a breadth of industry experience that only a few possess. His leadership and dedication to team building will be a huge boost as we take Kantar’s Consulting practice to the next level.”
About Kantar
Kantar is the world’s leading marketing data and analytics business and an indispensable brand partner to the world’s top companies. We combine the most meaningful attitudinal and behavioral data with deep expertise and advanced analytics to uncover how people think and act. We help clients understand what has happened and why and how to shape the marketing strategies that shape their future.