YouGov, the international online research data and analytics technology group, is pleased to provide an update on Board succession planning in relation to the previously announced planned retirement of the Non-Executive Chair, Roger Parry. Over the last 12 months,the Board's Nomination Committee, with support from leading international executive search firm Egon Zehnder, has conducted a rigorous assessment of the Board's composition and the skills, experience, structure and roles that are needed to support the Company's next phase of growth and ensure continued, effective leadership of the Group. As part of this process, the Committee identified the criteria required for the role of future Chair of YouGov to continue the delivery of the Company's long-term vision to become the world's leading market research platform.

During this assessment Stephan Shakespeare, YouGov's co-founder and current Chief Executive Officer, indicated to the Committee his desire to assume a more strategic, non-executive leadership role within the Group, allowing him to shift focus from day-to-day operational oversight to more long-term development and governance once the next phase of the Group's growth strategy had been set out. After an extensive assessment process, the Board unanimously agreed that it is in the best interests of the Company's long-term stability for Stephan to take over the role of Chair when Roger steps down. Consequently, Stephan has been appointed as YouGov's Non-Executive Chair Designate.

Stephan will assume the Chair role upon a new CEO commencing in post, currently anticipated to be on 1 August 2023 which is the start of the next financial year. The search for a new CEO has been launched and the Nomination Committee is currently considering a wide variety of both external and internal candidates as part of an international search process. The appointment of the CEO Designate is expected in the spring of 2023 to allow sufficient time for a hand-over period.

To ensure an orderly transition and allow adequate time to recruit the right candidate for the CEO position, Roger will be put forward for re-election at the upcoming AGM (8 December 2022) with the underlying expectation that he shall retire on 1 August 2023. As previously announced, Nick Prettejohn joined the Board in June 2022 as a Non-Executive Director. It is intended that Nick will take on the role of Senior Independent Director ("SID") at the same time as Stephan's transition to Chair.

Rosemary Leith, the current SID, will stay on the Board following this planned transition and will continue as Chair of the Remuneration Committee. In her role as SID, Rosemary led discussions within the Nomination Committee about the succession of the Chair. To further strengthen the Board and maintain the highest levels of corporate governance, it is also planned that a new independent Non-Executive Director will be appointed in the short term and this search is currently underway.

Adding this new Non-Executive role, in addition to Nick, ensures a majority of independent members on the Board following the Chair transition, while bringing further skills and diversity to the boardroom, and it is commensurate to the Company's current size and growth plans.