UK's YouGov appoints former ITV finance chief as chair (updated)
18/02/2026 09:25
Adds background on leadership changes, stock moves Feb 18 (Reuters) - Market research firm YouGov YOU.L named former ITV finance chief Ian Griffiths as its permanent chair on Wednesday, replacing Deborah Davis, who had served as interim chair for the past year. The appointment marks the latest leadership change at YouGov after Chief Financial Officer Alex McIntosh resigned earlier this month following 19 years at the company and was replaced on an interim basis by former Monzo Bank CFO James Davies. Last year, activist investor Gatemore Capital successfully pushed for the removal of CEO Steve Hatch after a brief one-and-half-year tenure, leading to the reinstatement of co-founder Stephan Shakespeare as the top boss. Shares, which peaked at 1,600 pence in 2022, have since lost more than 80% of their value. The board shake-up adds to a turbulent period for the research firm, which continues to invest in artificial intelligence products while navigating what it has described as a a "challenging macro environment". YouGov, which provides brand-tracking and marketing campaign analytics, is contending with a slowdown in advertising spending as companies reassess budgets amid the growing adoption of AI tools. (Reporting by Neeshita Beura in Bengaluru; Editing by Sumana Nandy and Mrigank Dhaniwala) ((Neeshita.Beura@thomsonreuters.com))