LONDON — Golin has named former Edelman executive Jonny Bentwood to a newly-created global role overseeing data and analytics for the Interpublic Group agency.

Bentwood joins Golin has global head of data and analytics, after spending a decade in senior digital roles with Edelman, most recently as chief innovation officer for the Edelman Intelligence research unit.

At Golin, he remains based in London, reporting to international co-CEO Jon Hughes.

"Many people say that marketing and communications is not exactly rocket science. I’ve probably said it myself in the past," said Hughes. "But now, it actually is. Progressive clients are demanding insights steeped in data, creative built upon sophisticated research and the business impact of every idea proven. Our industry has always been a mixture of art and science, but getting the science piece right has never been more critical."

Bentwood will play a key leadership role in Golin's global Explorer community, made up of executives from research, analytics and planning. This group helped to launch Golin’s Global Relevance Review earlier this year, and Bentwood is further tasked with overseeing the agency's approach to data, insights and analytics tools and technologies.

"I am a firm believer that data powers creative," said Bentwood. "Gone are the days of making decisions around client programs based purely on instinct."

Bentwood rose to prominence in London via the launch of several analytics tools for Edelman, including the Command Center, TweetLevel, BlogLevel and the patented Flow140.