Millward Brown to open West African Marketing Hub in Accra

Accra, May 18, GNA - Millward Brown, a global marketing entity, on Tuesday announced plans to open a West African hub office in Accra in Jun= e. The West Africa business will be a joint venture between Millward Brown, and Scangroup Limited, a leading sub-Saharan African marketing company. This was contained in a statement issued by Mr George Godsal Managi= ng Director (MD) of Millward Brown in Accra.

Millward Brown, one of the world's leading research agencies and exp= ert in advertising, marketing communications, media and brand equity research= , is in similar partnership in East and Central Africa.

Through the use of an integrated suite of validated research solutions - both qualitative and quantitative - Millward Brown helps clie= nts build strong brands and services. Millward Brown has more than 78 offices in 51 countries and is part= of Kantar, WPP's insight, information and consultancy group. The company has seen significant growth in Africa, with a fast-grow= ing presence in East and Central Africa.

The West African hub is a continuation of the successful partnership=

with Scangroup. Millward Brown also has a long-established presence in South Africa,=

which will continue to serve South African-based clients. Millward Brown West Africa will be headed by Soumya Saklani as MD, reporting to Tim Smyth, MD of Millward Brown East- Central and West Afric= a. Mr. Saklani is a research executive with more than 15 years research=

experience in Asia and Africa and has previously worked with Millward Bro= wn in Asia on two different occasions in different countries.

He brings a wealth of knowledge of consumers in emerging markets an= d intimate understanding of how Millward Brown can add value to the decisio= n making process of its clients. Bharat Thakrar, Chief Executive, Scangroup Limited said: "The desi= re of Millward Brown's Africa-based clients to have useful and timely delive= ry of consumer knowledge, insights and advice that help them with their business decision making is extremely strong, despite challenging market conditions of recent years."

Mr Smyth said: "The confidence that our clients have placed in the=

ability of our people and our research solutions has led to strong growth=

for Millward Brown's East Africa business over the past two years. "We are now extending our partnership with clients by opening a West=

Africa client service hub in Accra in June so that our clients can receiv= e best in class service right across the African continent. "The success and growth of Millward Brown's sub-Saharan business o= ver the last two years means that establishing a regional hub office in Accra=

has become essential so that we can provide better on-the-ground support to our growing client base in West Africa. "From day one we will be working with some of the most well-known brands operating in the region, and this gives us a very solid platform f= rom which to grow our business and service offering in the region," he said.