Publicis Media hires research expert to advance capabilities across APAC

Publicis Media has appointed Robert Fry (pictured) to the role of regional director of research and insights Asia Pacific. He will be tasked to drive the Publicis Media research agenda and advancing insights and tools capabilities across the APAC region.In his new capacity, Fry will report to Navaneeta Das, head of product and client development, Publicis Media Asia Pacific and will be part of a large data sciences division. Bringing with him 20 years of experience, Fry was last with market research consultancy Emotivate Research and Analytics as a managing director. The research consultancy specialises in the use of new technologies for brand, benchmarking, CX, emotion analytics and campaign uplift/benchmarking solutions.His expertise in research and consumer insights includes the 10 years he spent working at the agency side. Fry has had stints with GroupM, MediaCom, Mindshare and Kantar Millward Brown. At GroupM, he was the APAC head of research solutions, based in Singapore. Previously, he was the regional head of strategy and insights at MediaCom for more than five years. With Mindshare, he was the head of strategy and insights between 2003 to 2006. Before that, he helmed the roles director of marketing and managing director in his time with Kantar.Fry said he aims to ensure further democratisation of the capabilities such as building on the pioneering 300-strong apps training and excellence program in Publicis Media. “I am keen to help drive these initiatives and form closer partnerships with teams across Publicis Media and with research vendors and clients,” he added.Das said Fry’s thorough knowledge of the business, global expertise on tools development and aptitude for insights and innovation makes him the “perfect fit” to help accelerate our integration of global tools and systems while championing innovation across the region.