Singapore, March 2026 — Kantar has appointed Narelle B. as Chief People and Agent Officer, Global Research Group & APAC Region. Based in Singapore, she will support the APAC Region Executive Leadership Team while shaping a unified People and Agents function designed to align technology, culture, and workforce strategy as Kantar advances in the AI era.
In this role, Narelle will help drive Kantar’s people strategy alongside its “agentic” ambitions—bringing people and technology together so that agents make work better for colleagues while also supporting commercial growth. She will also play a key role within the Global Research Group, where research, data, analysis, and technology combine to deliver end-to-end outcomes for clients, and where Kantar is focused on building a connected global community of experts across markets and disciplines.
Prior to this appointment, Narelle served at Kantar as CHRO, Human Resources, Insights APAC & Global Consulting, where she led the HR function for Insights across APAC and held accountability for developing and executing strategic human capital plans aligned to regional business priorities. She was also a member of the global HR leadership team and the global Consulting Board.
Earlier at Kantar, she served as Global Head of Talent, Learning and Leadership Development, leading the global Talent, Learning and Leadership Centre of Expertise, with Inclusion & Diversity included within the portfolio. She also held the role of Global Head of Inclusion & Diversity, focusing on building a culture of belonging and strengthening diversity as a driver of innovation and client partnership.
Before Kantar, Narelle spent over four years with Nielsen, holding HR leadership roles including Director, Human Resources – Singapore & Malaysia, and Associate Director, Human Resources – Australia, with responsibilities spanning end-to-end HR strategy, organisational development, learning and development leadership, and HR partnering across multiple business functions and markets.
Earlier in her career, she served as Group Human Resources Manager at New Zealand Cricket, supporting HR frameworks and people capability building across the organisation. She also held global HR leadership responsibilities at Humanware, and served in shipboard HR leadership roles with Royal Caribbean International, including Shipboard Human Resources Manager, supporting multinational workforces across complex operational environments.
Her earlier career also includes roles with Medibank Private, Vodafone, Ansett, Nomad Telecommunications, Angus & Coote, and Kraft Foods, building a broad foundation across learning, organisational development, remuneration, and training leadership.
About Kantar
Kantar is a global marketing data and analytics business focused on delivering intelligence that powers brand growth. The company provides signals that help organisations act quickly and confidently, enabling effective marketing decisions based on predictive evidence and helping brands craft growth strategies rooted in the connection between consumers, brands, and enterprise value. Kantar’s approach is powered by robust human and synthetic data, proprietary IP, an AI-native platform, and global brand experts.
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