Millward Brown Optimor will be jointly headed up by recently appointed senior vice-presidents Forato and Nikhil Gharekhan, who will work with with the current Millward Brown team.
Based in London, Forato will be responsible for Europe while Gharekhan, based in New York, will look after North America. Both will report directly to executive vice-president Joanna Seddon, who recently joined Millward Brown from FutureBrand to head up the new unit.
Millward Brown Optimor will provide a high-level portfolio strategy, brand valuation and analytics, marketing investment planning and ROI measurement to Millward Brown clients worldwide.
Seddon said: "Millward Brown Optimor was set up to help Millward Brown clients across the globe, looking for additional help in linking brand and marketing decisions to business financials. Nikhil and Marco are in a perfect position to work with them to achieve this."
Forato was previously senior director of brand analytics at FutureBrand in the UK and has extensive experience in brand and business consulting, new business development, and project management.
Earlier in his career, Forato worked for Booz*Allen & Hamilton and Mitchell Madison Group in New York, as a management consultant developing and implementing new strategies for companies across industries worldwide.
Gharekhan is another FutureBrand hiring. He previously worked as engagement director at FutureBrand in New York, helping clients through a wide variety of strategic and analytical brand issues. Prior to that he was a principal consultant in PricewaterhouseCoopers' corporate strategy practice.
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