Video: Great Minds series - LSBF interviews Eric Salama, CEO of Kantar Group

Click here to watch this video on YouTube

Increased access to data is changing the way companies are looking at the market, believes Kantar Group CEO Eric Salama.

In an interview with LSBF, Mr Salama noted that greater emphasis on market research is improving the way businesses are using data to better understand their customers.

Mr Salama said: “Clients need research to have much greater impact. They are looking to think backwards – what’s the decision I need to make differently, what’s the business issue and, therefore, what kind of research will enable me to make that decision better.”

“The amount of data we have and the nature of that data is changing tremendously. Our task is to incorporate all of that together to answer the kind of questions that we need to for clients,” he added.

LSBF Great Minds series

As well as offering programmes dedicated to fostering leadership skills, LSBF also endeavours to provide students with insight and inspiration through a number of innovative resources. One of these initiatives is the LSBF Great Minds Series: a collection of video interviews with leading business and political leaders promoting debate on education, employability, entrepreneurship and the economy.

The video series started in 2011 with a conversation with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, followed by an interview with former Education Secretary Lord Kenneth Baker. In 2012, entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of the Virgin Group said that universities worldwide should become hubs to boost entrepreneurship and inspire self-starters to develop their own businesses. In 2014, LSBF spoke to Will Butler-Adams from Brompton Bicycle, Guy Hayward-Cole from Nomura Bank International, with former British Prime Minister Sir John Major, entrepreneur and investor Deborah Meaden, Google UK sales director Kevin Mathers and BBC Worldwide CEO Tim Davie.

In 2015, LSBF hosted interviews with Andrew Miller, CEO of Guardian Media Group; Jill McDonald, CEO of McDonald's UK; Kevin Costello, CEO of Haymarket Group; Amy McPherson, CEO of Marriott Hotels Europe; veteran BAFTA-winning broadcaster Jon Snow; live chats with Kevin Ellis, Managing Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers; Guy Hands, Founder of Terra Firma and many others.