Lightspeed Group announced today it has appointed Caroline Frankum to the position of Chief Executive Officer, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and member of the Board of Directors. Frankum will begin her new position in June 2016, reporting to David Day, President and Global Chief Executive Officer.
Frankum steps into this role previously held by Martin Filz, who transitioned to Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific in January. Focusing on emerging business opportunities, she will be responsible for the growth strategy, client management and operational plans across the EMEA region.
“The combination of Caroline’s business acumen, dedication and experience is ideally suited to lead Lightspeed to the next level. Her performance at Hall & Partners over the last several years has been impressive to watch from a distance,” stated Day.
Frankum’s career is marked by a successful tenure across the marketing research industry. She most recently served as Hall & Partners’ EMEA CEO. In this role, she drove impressive year-on-year revenue growth. She also won substantial business in emerging EMEA markets, leading Hall & Partners to launch offerings in Africa and Dubai. While CEO, the organization achieved Superbrand status in the UK for two consecutive years.
“Caroline has a broad range of experience with myriad clients, product development and concept testing, as well as consumer targeting in both the quantitative and qualitative space – a perfect fit for this position. I look forward to working with her, as she brings her fresh approach and expertise to leading our excellent EMEA team,” stated Day.
In her seven years at Hall & Partners Frankum previously served as Managing Partner, Europe. She also held various management roles in planning and research at BSkyB, UKTV, and Fox Kids/Jetix, part of Walt Disney Company.
“I have always been impressed with Lightspeed GMI’s dependability for innovation and quality excellence, and I live by that philosophy,” stated Frankum. “With today’s consumers changing dramatically in a rapidly-evolving, attention-driven economy, this quality-seeking approach to making research easy has never been more key to success. So, I am absolutely thrilled to be joining David’s award-winning team and look forward to working with my colleagues to invest in and grow our businesses at a time when digital technologies are creating new opportunities across the industry.”