LONDON: The Board of YouGov, the international research and data analytics group, announced Thursday the future appointment of Wayne Levings as chief executive officer.
Levings brings extensive industry expertise and substantial operational experience across multi-territory businesses, with a proven track record in both publicly listed and private equity-backed organizations. He most recently served as global chief client officer and CEO Americas at Kantar, and 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 United Kingdom. Levings is also a member of the Africa College Foundation Board of Trustees.
Levings will succeed Stephan Shakespeare, founder and CEO, following an appropriate handover period to ensure an orderly transition of leadership.
Levings will join the company on Nov. 1, 2026, as chief executive officer elect and will assume the role of CEO and join the board of directors by Feb. 1, 2027. Upon this transition, 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, Shakespeare will also serve as chair of a newly established board committee focused on innovation.
“I’m delighted to join YouGov at this exciting time in its transformation and the opportunity to execute the vision created by Stephan,” Levings said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Stephan and the board to realise the vision and strategy and create real value for our shareholders.”
Shakespeare said: “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, said: “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.”
YouGov is a global research data and analytics group with operations in the Americas, mainland Europe, the United Kingdom and Asia Pacific. The company maintains one of the world’s largest research networks and is widely regarded as the most trusted market research provider globally. Its proprietary panel includes millions of registered members across 64 markets, encompassing approximately 18 million shopping trips and millions of interconnected data points.
About YouGov
YouGov’s mission is to offer unparalleled insight into what the world really thinks and does. The company’s approach to recruiting and engaging its panel, combined with state-of-the-art technology platforms, enables it to deliver accurate, real-world, real-time insights for client decision-making.
