Synovate appoints Klaus Paur as MD, automotive vertical in China and Korea

Paur will step into his new role at the beginning of next year. Based in Shanghai, he will be responsible for leading automotive market research in Synovate Greater China and Korea.

The company said the appointment is in response to the expected strong growth of the automotive industry in China, which has been changing its role from a global manufacturing centre to a significant market player. The country is now the largest car market in the world, with a projection of 17 million units to be sold in 2010.

Eliza Wong, CEO for Synovate Greater China, said having Paur joining the company is one of the strategic moves of the upcoming structure for Greater China.

"Klaus' proven record in the North Asia region and his international expertise will be a priceless addition to our automotive research business in Greater China and Korea," she said.

Paur has over 20 years' experience in marketing and market research, 15 of which have been spent specifically in the automotive industry. He started his automotive research career in 1995 as a senior researcher for quantitative and qualitative ad-hoc studies at Sofres in Paris.

In 1997 he began leading international advertising effectiveness tracking surveys across Europe and Latin America, and then relocated to Shanghai in early 2003 to head the TNS Automotive research practice in China.