14 April 2023

YouGov plc

("YouGov" or "the Group" or "the Company")

Appointment of Steve Hatch as CEO

YouGov, the international research and data analytics group, is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Hatch as Chief Executive Officer. This appointment follows a comprehensive international search process, supported by leading international executive search firm Egon Zehnder, which considered a wide range of both internal and external candidates.

Steve will join the Company on 1 August 2023, succeeding Stephan Shakespeare who will assume the role of Non-Executive Chair, as previously announced. Stephan will work closely with Steve in the initial months of his appointment to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities at the Group.

Roger Parry will therefore be standing down from the role of Non-Executive Chair on 31 July 2023, in line with the previously disclosed Board succession plan. Nick Prettejohn will take on the role of Senior Independent Director on 1 August 2023, taking over the role from Rosemary Leith who will stay on the Board following this planned transition and will continue as Chair of the Remuneration Committee.

Steve has over 30 years' experience leading high growth marketing, media, and technology companies. He was appointed as Facebook's first Regional Director for the UK in 2014, overseeing a fundamental evolution of the platform. In 2016, Steve became Meta's Vice President for Northern Europe managing all business operations and strategy for the region, driving the introduction of Meta's e-commerce products and development of the company's insight tools.

Prior to joining Facebook, Steve spent 15 years at WPP, his final role being CEO of media agency, MEC, which he led to become Agency of the Decade in 2013. Before joining WPP, Steve worked in strategy roles at Omnicom and Y&R. 

Steve is currently a Non-Executive Director at Reach plc, a position he has held since 2015. Steve will be stepping down from this role before he joins YouGov.

Roger Parry, Non-Executive Chair, said: "On behalf of the YouGov Board, I am delighted to announce the appointment of Steve Hatch as our incoming Chief Executive Officer, following a comprehensive international search process. Steve brings over 30 years of relevant leadership experience and valuable sector expertise in consumer profiling, e-commerce, and business transformation with a proven track record in scaling technology platforms and digital media businesses. These capabilities make Steve perfectly suited to lead YouGov through its third strategic growth plan and beyond.  

It has been a privilege to serve as Chair of YouGov over the last 16 years. As I prepare to hand over to Stephan Shakespeare, I have full confidence that we have set the right strategic direction to deliver another long-term period of profitable growth for the business and have now established the right Board and executive team to see that plan implemented to its full potential. I remain fully engaged on supporting the Board succession transition activities leading up to the handover at the start of August."

Steve Hatch said: "YouGov is a business I have closely followed and admired for some time. The company is in a strong position with a clear strategic direction and significant investment in technology and international reach driving robust client demand and consistent top line growth performance in recent years. I look forward to working closely with Stephan, the wider Board and the full YouGov team on the great opportunities ahead in the third strategic growth plan as we look to create further value for customers, partners, shareholders, and colleagues."

Stephan Shakespeare, Chief Executive Officer and Non-Executive Chair Designate, said: "It is a pleasure to welcome Steve to YouGov. I am confident that I will be handing over the reins with YouGov in its strongest ever position and with a clear strategy to realising our vision of building the world's leading marketing data and research platform. It will be an honour to step into the role of Non-Executive Chair in August and continue my journey with the Company. I am hugely excited for what the future holds for YouGov."

Enquiries

This Announcement is issued on behalf of the Company by Tilly Heald, Company Secretary.

About YouGov

YouGov is an international online research data and analytics technology group.

Our mission is to offer unparalleled insight into what the world thinks.

Our innovative solutions help the world's most recognised brands, media owners and agencies to plan, activate and track their marketing activities better.

With operations in the UK, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, India and Asia Pacific, we have one of the world's largest research networks.

At the core of our platform is an ever-growing source of consumer data that has been amassed over our twenty years of operation. We call it Living Data. All of our products and services draw upon this detailed understanding of our 24+ million registered panel members to deliver accurate, actionable consumer insights.

As innovators and pioneers of online market research, we have a strong reputation as a trusted source of accurate data and insights. Testament to this, YouGov data is regularly referenced by the global press, and we are the most quoted market research source in the world.

YouGov. Living Consumer Intelligence.

For further information, visit business.yougov.com

Additional Disclosures Required under the AIM Rules for Companies

The following information is disclosed pursuant to Schedule Two paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies:

Steven Thomas Hatch (aged 53) is or has been a Director of the following companies within the past five years:

Current Directorships:

Past Directorships (within past five years):

None

No other information is required to be disclosed pursuant to Schedule Two paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies.