Levings to Head Up YouGov - Eventually

As rumoured last month, YouGov has named Kantar veteran Wayne Levings as its new Chief Executive, succeeding co-founder Stephan Shakespeare. Levings will join the company only in November, and step formally into the CEO role in February next year.

YouGov restored Shakespeare to the top job eighteen months ago on an 'interim basis', on the departure of Steve Hatch, but had said nothing specific about a date for appointing a new permanent chief, until in mid-July reports in Sky News indicated it was actively considering candidates, with Kantar UK Chief Client Officer Levings (pictured) 'among the contenders'.

Shakespeare founded the company with Nadhim Zahawi (since an MP and briefly Chancellor of the Exchequer), and had previously held the top job for ten years, and his reappointment followed a shareholder's public criticism of 'management missteps' over eighteen months amounting to a 'disaster'. The challenges leading up to this began with an incautious forecast following the 2023-4 acquisition of the European Consumer Panel Services business of GfK.

On joining the company Levings will take the title of ⁠CEO-designate. He is currently Kantar's global Chief Client Officer and CEO Americas, and has previously led the company's Asia Pacific, North America and Retail businesses, during a seventeen-year stay at the global group. Prior to joining, his career included spells of around six years each at P&G and Glendinning Management Consultants.

YouGov also today reiterated its forecast for low-single-digit revenue growth this year, and says it is continuing a strategic review of its Shopper division.

Web site: www.yougov.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.