MUMBAI: TNS has appointed Andrea Mezzasalma as head of TNS' Internet, Television and Radio Audience Measurement sector (iTram), responsible for managing the global business.

Mezzasalma will take over from Mike Gorton who has been with TNS for five years and played a key role in developing the iTram sector and consolidating TNS as an industry leader in TV and radio audience measurement, informs an official release.

Gorton will be retiring from TNS this year but will remain with the group as a consultant.

Mezzasalma will be relocated from Milan to London and has a high profile in the global media measurement industry. He became the youngest partner in Eurisko, a leading Italian marketing information company, where he was pivotal in developing and marketing innovative technologies for audience measurement. Eurisko was acquired by NOP World in 2003, and more recently by GfK.

TNS chief executive David Lowden said, "Andrea has an excellent track record as an innovator with a deep understanding of technology. With rapid changes in technology, media measurement is becoming more complex and TNS is responding to this challenge by developing more sophisticated models to enable data segmentation, digitisation and internet measurement. Andrea will provide valuable expertise in the technology and audience measurement fields to take the iTram team forward and deliver growth in this important sector.

TNS has recently secured a number of high profile contracts across the globe including its appointment to the RAJAR/BARB London Portable Meter/Panel Development audience measurement programme and a pioneering TV audience measurement agreement in the US with Charter Communications. Andrea will oversee these projects and manage the teams involved in driving international plans forward, the release adds.