Appointment of Wayne Levings as CEO

YouGov PLC

06 August 2026

 

06 August 2026

YouGov plc

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

Appointment of Wayne Levings as CEO

The Board of YouGov, the international research and data analytics group, is delighted to announce the future appointment of Wayne Levings as the new Chief Executive Officer.

Wayne brings extensive industry expertise, substantial operational experience across multi-territory businesses and a proven track record in both publicly listed and private equity-backed organisations. Wayne possesses significant commercial acumen and has demonstrated expertise in leading business transformation initiatives. He most recently held the positions of Global Chief Client Officer and CEO Americas at Kantar, having previously held the role of CEO of the Asia Pacific, North America and Kantar Retail businesses. He was formerly a board member at Glendinning Management Consulting and began his career at Procter & Gamble in marketing and sales roles across South Africa and the UK. Wayne is a member of the Africa College Foundation Board of Trustees. 

Wayne Levings will succeed Stephan Shakespeare, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, following an appropriate handover period to ensure an orderly transition of leadership.

Mr Levings will join the Company on 1 November 2026 as Chief Executive Officer Elect and will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer and join the Board of Directors by 1 February 2027. Upon this transition, Mr Shakespeare will step down from his executive responsibilities and remain on the Board as Non-Executive Director. In recognition of the strategic importance of innovation to the Company's future growth, Mr Shakespeare will also serve as Chair of a newly established Board committee focused on Innovation.

Wayne Levings commented: "I'm delighted to join YouGov at this exciting time in its transformation and the opportunity to execute the vision created by Stephan. I look forward to working with Stephan and the Board to realise the vision and strategy and create real value for our shareholders."

Stephan Shakespeare, CEO, commented: "I am excited about this next chapter for YouGov and I fully endorse the appointment of our new CEO. When I step into the non-executive Innovation Chair role in six months' time, our complementary skills will strengthen the business, and I look forward to working closely with the new CEO to ensure a smooth transition of leadership. I am particularly optimistic about the prospects of the business in an AI world, with real momentum behind our new product pipeline. I believe this is where I can add the most value for YouGov's development in this fast-changing market."

Ian Griffiths, Chair of the Board, commented: "On behalf of the Board, I am delighted to welcome Wayne Levings as our new Chief Executive Officer and thank Stephan for his ongoing work to stabilise the business and put in place the building blocks for our next phase of growth. We are excited to have such a strong executive leader who will continue to have access to Stephan's innovation capability. Stephan has created a truly unique asset in YouGov's proprietary panel of trusted data from real people.  Wayne, Stephan and the rest of the Board are aligned and excited about the road ahead and the opportunity to deliver significant shareholder value."

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:

Wayne Levings (aged 56) is or has been a Director of the following companies within the past five years:

Current Directorships:

Company Name	Company Number	Country of Registration	Area of Business	Nature of Interest
Ethical Power / Triple Eight Group	CRN: 16980943	UK	Renewable Energy	Non-Executive Chair
Africa College Foundation (ACF)	Charity no: 1199415	UK	Charity	Trustee

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.

Enquiries

YouGov plc  William Bowes, Company Secretary  Hannah Jethwani, Head of Corporate Strategy & IR	020 7012 6000
FTI Consulting  Charles Palmer / Dwight Burden / Valerija Cymbal / Jemima Gurney	020 3727 1000
J.P. Morgan Cazenove (NOMAD and Joint Broker)  Bill Hutchings / James Summer	020 7742 4000
Berenberg (Joint Broker)  Mark Whitmore / Marie Moy	020 3207 7800
Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc (Joint Broker)  Andrew Foster / Josh Williams	020 7425 8000

About YouGov

YouGov is a global research data and analytics group. Our mission is to offer unparalleled insight into what the world really thinks and does. With operations in the Americas, Mainland Europe, UK and Asia Pacific, we have one of the world's largest research networks and are seen as the most trusted market research provider globally*.



Above all, YouGov is powered by reality. That stems from a unique panel of millions of registered members across 64 markets, encapsulating some 18 million shopping trips and millions of interconnected data points. Our unique approach to recruiting and engaging our panel, combined with state-of-the-art technology platforms, enables us to deliver accurate, real-world, real-time insights that lead to better decision-making and a competitive advantage for our clients.



As innovators and pioneers of online market research, we have built a reputation as a trusted source of accurate data and insights. Testament to this, YouGov data is the most quoted market research brand by the world's media.**



YouGov /Research Reality



For further information, visit yougov.com



* 3rd party piece of research across over 3,000 market research users globally, Aug 2025

** Meltwater, 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025

 

END