Kantar chief executive Eric Salama is "recovering well" after he was stabbed when he reportedly confronted a man attempting to steal his car in Kew, London on Sunday (20 January).
The altercation saw Salama attacked by an unknown assailant. Salama was subsequently rushed to hospital where he remains in a stable condition, recovering from injuries which 'pose no threat to life'.
A spokesperson for Kantar commented: “We can confirm that Mr Salama was involved in the incident in Kew at the weekend. He is recovering well and our thoughts are with him and his family. We would like to request privacy for the family at this time.”
Speaking to the Daily Mail nearby shop owner Fasink Nizri commented: “It happened in a matter of minutes - two minutes - I saw blood, there was screaming. Eric is a decent man and has no problems with anybody.
“The person tried to steal his car; he asked 'what are you doing?' 'He was stabbed just near his heart, it was very bad - the knife was enormous - he was hit so hard that the knife it bent.
'Our staff managed to stem the bleeding, then we called his son and an ambulance, it was terrible, terrible.”
No arrests have yet been made.
Salama had been discussing a potential £3.5bn management buyout of the data and market research company in a possible split with parent company WPP.
