He was formerly head of key accounts for the Synovate Censydiam practice, which he joined a year ago and was responsible for developing country and key account relationships.
Prior to joining Synovate, Coll was strategy director at Carat, working with clients to develop communication strategies.
He has been in research for over 20 years, ten of which were on the client side in European and global roles with Reckitt Benckiser and Diageo.
Michelle Norman, chief executive of Synovate UK, said: "The breadth of John's experience and expertise perfectly places him to lead these important divisions.
"He is a natural fit with the researchers in both teams and also the management team here in the UK, and will be a key contributor in driving the UK business forward."