Directorate Change

YouGov PLC

09 February 2026

 

9 February 2026

YouGov plc

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

Directorate Change

YouGov, the international research and data analytics group, today announces that the Board and Alex McIntosh have mutually agreed that he will step down from his position as Chief Finance Officer (CFO) and from the Board to pursue other opportunities, with effect from today. Alex has been with the Company for nineteen years, including eight years on the Board as CFO. Alex will continue to support the Board and executive team during his notice period to ensure an orderly handover during this period of transition.  

To follow Alex's departure, the Board is pleased to announce the appointment of James Davies as Chief Financial Officer. James' appointment will initially be on an interim basis, with effect from 12 February 2026.  James is an ACA qualified accountant with over 25 years of experience in global organisations, including 13 years in investment banking at Close Brothers and Deutsche Bank. James has held Group CFO positions in public and privately owned digital companies, most recently at OVO Energy and prior to that at Monzo Bank. James is Senior Independent Director at British Cycling and Chair of their Audit and Assurance Committee. James will join the Steering Team of senior executives and will not serve on the Board of Directors at this time.

Deborah Davis, Chair of the Board, commented: "The Board wants to take this opportunity to thank Alex for his significant contributions and admirable commitment to YouGov. We share our thanks to him for ensuring an orderly transition and wish him every success in his future endeavours."

Stephan Shakespeare, CEO, commented: "Alex has been instrumental in driving YouGov's growth and transformation from a small research agency with less than 100 employees to a leading international research and data analytics group with a workforce of over 3,000 employees today. It has been my great pleasure to work alongside him during this time."

Alex McIntosh, CFO, commented: "It has been an honour to be part of YouGov's journey for the past two decades. I wish Stephan and our thousands of YouGov colleagues the very best for the future."

James Davies commented: "I am very much looking forward to working with Deborah, Stephan and the wider YouGov team to help create a focused, sustainable business to drive long-term value creation."  

Enquiries

YouGov plc  Tilly Heald, Company Secretary  Hannah Jethwani, Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Strategy	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 / Richard Andrews / Smruthya Ganeshram	020 3207 7800
Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc (Joint Broker)  Andrew Foster / Josh Williams / Ed Phillips	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 US, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, India and Asia Pacific, we have one of the world's largest research networks.

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 with our panel, combined with our state-of-the-art technology platforms, enables us to deliver 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 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 consistently one of the most quoted market research sources in the world.

YouGov /Research Reality

For further information, visit business.yougov.com

 

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