YouGov PLC (YOU) 2015年年度報告「AIM」.pdf

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1、Annual Report and Accounts2015YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015YouGov is an international full-service market research agency.Our core offering of opinion data is derived from our highly participative panel of 4million people worldwide.We combine this continuous stream of data with our deep res

2、earch expertise and broad industry experience into a systematic research and marketing platform.Contentsyougov.co.uk/annualreport/2015Strategic ReportChairmans statement 4Business model 6 and strategyChief Executives review 8Overview of our products 14 and services YouGov Opigram 20YouGov in the pre

3、ss 21Our reach 22 Review of geographic 24 operations Chief Financial Officers 28 report Principal risks 32Governance Board of Directors 36 Corporate Governance 38 Report Corporate Social 41 Responsibility Remuneration Report 42Directors Report 47Directors Responsibilities 50 Statement Independent Au

4、ditors 51 Report to the Members of YouGov plc on the Group Financial StatementsFinancial statementsConsolidated Income 56 Statement Consolidated Statement 57 of Comprehensive Income Consolidated Statement 58 of Financial Position Consolidated Statement 59 of Changes in Equity Consolidated Statement

5、60 of Cash Flows Principal Accounting Policies 61 of the Consolidated Financial Statements Notes to the Consolidated 72 Financial Statements Independent Auditors 95 Report to the Members of YouGov plc on the Parent Company Financial Statements Company Balance Sheet 97Accounting Policies 98Notes to t

6、he Company 101 Financial Statements Additional informationNotice of Annual 107 GeneralMeeting YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015What the world thinksAuthoritative media presencePartnerships with clientsIntegrated suite of data products and servicesExpert researchersLeading-edge analytics technol

7、ogyRich interaction with our panelVariety of data collection platformsThe YouGov modelOur business model and strategy see pages 6 to 7.which we capture via our collection platforms to populate the YouGov Cube,our connected profile data library.Our value chainWe have a panel of almost4 million people

8、 worldwideproviding us with a live,continuous stream of data YouGov BrandIndex YouGov Profiles YouGov PulseOur products and services see pages 14 to 19The Cube see the Chief Executives review on pages 9 and 10 YouGov Omnibus YouGov Reports YouGov Custom ResearchThe YouGov Cube underpins all our prod

9、ucts and services which we combine with our industry-leading analytics technology and research expertise.to deliver to our clients analyses and reports that can be used to plan,manage and refine all types of campaigns whether they have commercial,political,social or other objectives.Strategic report

10、GovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional information1Operational highlights Group revenue increased by 13%-organic growth of 11%Adjusted operating profit up by 16%Adjusted profit before tax up by 19%Adjusted earnings per share up by 14%Cash generated from operations(before paying interest and tax)in

11、creased by 16%to 10.3m(2014:8.9m)Excellent cash conversion of 120%of adjusted operating profit(2014:120%)Net cash balances of 10.0m(2014:7.2m)after making 0.5m(2014:1.0m)of acquisition related payments Recommended dividend increased by 25%to1.0p per share Data Products and Services revenue up by 22%

12、to 26.2m;now represents 34%of total (2014:32%)BrandIndex revenue increased by 30%to 10.4m Omnibus revenue increased by 18%to 12.6m Revenue from Custom Research up by 9%to49.9m New YouGov Profiles product launched in UK and USA Newest markets Asia Pacific and France achieving strong growthFinancial h

13、ighlights8.6mAdjusted operating profit12014:7.4m1.Adjusted operating profit is defined as Group operating profit before amortisation of intangibles and exceptional items.In the year to 31 July 2015,amortisation of intangibles was 4.6m(2014:4.0m)and exceptional costs were 1.1m(2014:2.4m).Adjusted pro

14、fit before tax and earnings per share are calculated based on adjusted operating profit.9.1mAdjusted profit before tax12014:7.7m10.3mOperating cash generation2014:8.9m2.9mStatutory operating profit2014:1.0m7.0pAdjusted earnings per share12014:6.1p2.7mStatutory profit before tax2014:0.7m76.1mTurnover

15、2014:67.4m2YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015Strategic reportFANS OF THE X-FACTOR SAMPLE SIZE 5,363Sample demographicGender:MaleAge:25-39Social grade:C2DE CUSTOMERS OF BMW SAMPLE SIZE 4,198Sample demographicGender:MaleAge:25-39Social grade:ABC1 OPPONENTS OF AUSTERITY CUTS SAMPLE SIZE 7,338Sample

16、 demographicGender:FemaleAge:55+Social grade:C2DE3Strategic reportSECTION CONTENTChairmans statement 4Business model and strategy 6Chief Executives review 8Overview of our products and services 14 YouGov Opigram 20YouGov in the press 21Our reach 22 Review of geographic operations 24Chief Financial O

17、fficers report 28 Principal risks 324YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015Chairmans statementfor the year ending 31 July 2015STRATEGIC REPORTRoger ParryChairman“Asweannouncedlastyear,wearenowrunningthebusinesswithagreaterfocusonproducttypemanagedonaglobalbasisratherthanbygeography.Itisverypleasingt

18、oreportthat,asplanned,wesawfurthersignificantgrowthinourDataProductsandServicessegmentthisyear.”The financial year ended 31 July 2015 has been a good one for YouGov.We delivered strong organic growth in both revenues and profits.Perhaps even more importantly,we have successfully achieved the goals s

19、et for the first year of the five-year growth plan that the Board approved last year.As we announced last year,we are now running this business with a greater focus on product type managed on a global rather than a local basis.It is very pleasing to report that,as planned,we saw a further significan

20、t growth in our Data Products and Services segment.But it is also encouraging that,in line with our increased focus on operational excellence,we have seen profits grow significantly in the USA as well as in Germany,which underperformed in the previous year,and our growth continues to outperform the

21、market in all product lines.Last year,we put in place a new matrix structure and appointed a Chief Operating Officer to manage international growth and deliver consistent international service quality across all markets.Early indications are that this management approach is working well.Traditionall

22、y,market research involved the creation of a survey designed as a one-off to answer a clients specific questions then the interrogation of a statistically representative sample of people whose responses would provide data to help the clients decision making.In its early years,YouGov pioneered the us

23、e of the Internet as a data collection tool although at that time,largely based on this traditional research model.As the Internet and ways of using it have evolved,YouGov itself has embarked on new working methods that exploit the reach and interactivity of todays technology and fundamentally chang

24、e the way that research data is collected and delivered.We have,in effect,automated the process of data collection,analysis and presentation,which provides our clients with a superior service.We operate a panel of almost 4 million highly responsive YouGov members around the world and we constantly e

25、ngage with them to seek their views on a wide range of issues and subjects.Data from this panel is collected on a daily basis and stored in a multivariate database we call The Cube.This vast,and ever expanding,data-set can then be analysed and presented to a client in any way they want using our pro

26、prietary analytics tool that we call Crunch.This approach allows us to deliver innovative data products and insights that clients value,such as YouGov BrandIndex,which lets them track the health of their brands on a daily basis and see immediate consumer reactions to factors such as their advertisin

27、g or external news stories.We are also able to offer products like YouGov Profiles launched at the start of 2015.The consumer version of Profiles is available free to use on our website and has proved hugely popular and entertaining.The professional version,which sells on a subscription model,allows

28、 clients to obtain deep and complex profiles so as to describe and understand their actual and potential customers.5Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationChairmans statementfor the year ending 31 July 20152015201420132012201176.167.462.658.156.1Turnover(m)20152014201320

29、1220118.67.46.05.65.3Adjusted operating profit1(m)201520142013201220119.17.76.86.15.8Adjusted profit before tax1(pence)201520142013201220117.06.15.64.94.7Adjusted earnings per share1(pence)2015201420132012201110.38.96.94.95.6Operating cash generation(m)The Board is acutely aware of the need to balan

30、ce our desire to invest for the future with the delivery of profit growth in the current year.Our focus remains on continuing to grow organically by opening up new territories and adding to our product range.We have invested(and will continue to invest)in new technologies to enable us to interact wi

31、th our panel and ask questions in novel and engaging ways,and we are constantly improving our software platform to support our business plans.In keeping with our progressive dividend policy,we are pleased to propose a 25%increase in the annual dividend,payable in December 2015,up to 1.0p per share.W

32、hen the business started in 2000,YouGov achieved its original fame through political polling but our clients have always used our services to gain a far broader view of how society works and of how people live their lives.An excellent example of this was the book we published during the year called

33、What Makes us Germans Tick.This proved to be a media sensation going straight to the top of the non-fiction bestsellers list and generating a huge amount of public interest in Germany.Although political polling is only a small part of YouGovs business,it is a high profile element and rightly gets a

34、lot of attention particularly when the polls prove to be out of line with the election results,as they were in the 2015 General Election in the UK.This was a reminder to the entire industry that we must treat each result as an opportunity to learn and to adapt our methodology,and we will be making a

35、 full report on this at our annual YouGov-Cambridge conference in November.We were delighted to welcome Rosemary Leith,in February 2015,as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee.Her global experience in commercial and academic spheres of the Internet,online data and analyti

36、cs will be of great value to YouGov in our continuing international development.Rosemary replaces SirPeter Bazalgette who stood down in May 2015 after 10 years during which time he made a huge and lasting contribution to the Company during a period of very great change.The current trading year has s

37、tarted well with robust trading in the first two months and a strong sales pipeline.We have set ourselves ambitious growth targets for the next five years and are focused on delivering the initiatives currently underway.We have the skilled and enthusiastic team to do this and the resources to make t

38、he right investments.Roger ParryChairman12 October 20151.Adjusted operating profit is defined as Group operating profit before amortisation of intangibles and exceptional items.In the year to 31 July 2015,amortisation of intangibles was 4.6m(2014:4.0m)and exceptional costs were 1.1m(2014:2.4m).Adjus

39、ted profit before tax and earnings per share are calculated based on adjusted operating profit.Our products and services see pages 14 to 19Our media presence see page 21WhattheworldthinksAuthoritative mediapresencePartnershipswithclientsIntegrated suiteofdata productsand servicesExpert researchersLe

40、ading-edge analytics technologyRichinteractionwithourpanelVarietyof datacollection platformsHere at YouGov,we believe in the power of participation.From the very beginning,we have been driven by a simple idea:the more people are able to participate in the decisions made by the institutions that serv

41、e them,the better those decisions will be.At the heart of our company is a global online community,where millions of people and thousands of political,cultural and commercial organisations engage in a continuous conversation about their beliefs,behaviours and brands.We combine this continuous stream

42、 of data with our deep research expertise and broad industry experience,to develop the technologies and methodologies that will enable more collaborative decision making.And provide a more accurate,more actionable portrait of what the world thinks.6YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015STRATEGIC REP

43、ORTBusiness model and strategyOur business model Established in the UK in 2000 as the first online pollster,YouGov quickly developed a very strong brand widely recognised for accurate political opinion polling.Our highly-responsive proprietary panel and good reputation opened the doors for YouGov to

44、 expand quickly beyond the public service sector to much larger and more profitable commercial market research activity.The YouGov model was founded on our belief that,done properly,Internet research is more accurate than traditional market research methods,while being faster,more flexible and riche

45、r in data.Our model has evolved in keeping with the growth of Internet usage,the advancement of big data analytics,and the changing needs of our clients and today we remain ahead of the curve.Our value chain consists of innovative data collection methods,powerful analytics technology,and the deliver

46、y of high-margin syndicated data products and expert insights.We have,in effect,automated the process of data collection,analysis and presentation,thereby allowing us to deliver quicker results,smarter insights and better value for our clients than ever before.The YouGov panel is key to our model.Ou

47、r panel and the data they contribute makes our business possible,while our model motivates panellists to participate with us.In contrast to the one-way-street of traditional market research,our innovative data collection platforms and authoritative media presence work to facilitate a continuous conv

48、ersation between YouGov panellists,clients and the media.Our strategy A key objective for the YouGov Group is to increase the proportion of revenue from Data Products and Services over the medium-term and bring these closer to parity with Custom Research.We are focusing on growing revenue from our c

49、ore product suite by bringing our existing products to new markets,as well as continuing to innovate with new products and methodologies.Another key objective is to integrate custom research with syndicated data and we are achieving this through the development of the YouGov Cube.The Cube is our hig

50、hly-structured data library which is populated by data from our various data collection platforms.With the Cube,we can take data generated from custom research and combine it with other data from our library,or from products such as BrandIndex and Profiles,to create a more powerful offering.We are f

51、ocusing on rolling-out the Cube across our geographies.Today,YouGov has a panel across 37 countries worldwide and we continue to engage in opportunities to take our online market research core business model of a strong brand and panel,coupled with innovative products and sector expertise to new mar

52、kets.Ourfivekey strategic objectivesBoostourpublicprofileExpandour geographic footprintGrowour syndicated products suiteIntegratecustomresearchandsyndicateddataEnhanceouruserexperience7Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationBusiness model and strategy8YouGov Annual Repor

53、t and Accounts 2015STRATEGIC REPORTChief Executives reviewfor the year ending 31 July 2015“Wearepleasedtoreportanotheryearofstrongorganicrevenueandprofitgrowthreflectingclientsdemandforourportfolioofglobaldataproductsaswellasforourcustomresearchservices.Ourcontinuedmarketsharegainsresultfromthesophi

54、sticationofourdata-ledproductsandservicesandtheirabilitytomeetthechangingneedsofourcustomerbase.”Stephan ShakespeareChief Executive OfficerPerformance in the yearYouGovs revenue for the year ended 31 July 2015 increased by 13%to 76.1m.Our organic growth of 11%was once again well above global market

55、growth,which we estimate at approximately 3%.The Groups adjusted operating profit increased by 16%to 8.6m,from 7.4m the previous year.This performance reflects the on-going benefits of our strategy to grow our global suite of higher margin data products and services while ensuring that our custom re

56、search business also gains market share and improves its profitability.Revenue from Data Products and Services increased by 22%to 26.2m and revenue from Custom Research grew by 9%to 49.9m.Data Products and Services now represent 34%of total Group revenue,compared to 32%in the previous year.Within th

57、is,YouGov BrandIndex revenue grew by 30%to 10.4m and YouGov Omnibus revenue grew by 18%to 12.6m.The operating profit from Data Products and Services increased by 17%to 6.8m,which represents a margin of 26%.Custom Research operating profit grew by 24%to 6.4m with the margin increasing from 11%to 13%.

58、Our Custom business has gained momentum thanks to the increasing awareness and traction achieved by our data products and to the ability this gives us to meet the changing needs of research buyers.60705040302010026%34%Changes in revenue(m)Data Products&Services revenueCustom Research revenueFY12FY13

59、FY14FY15Our goal is to bring the proportion of revenue from Data Products&Services closer to parity with Custom Research.9Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationChief Executives reviewfor the year ending 31 July 2015 Regionally,the US operation,our largest in revenue ter

60、ms,grew by 18%so that it now accounts for one-third of Group revenue and it also significantly increased its profit contribution.Our newer Asia Pacific and French businesses grew strongly,in line with our plans.The UK also delivered strong revenue growth of 18%although planned investment in the YouG

61、ov Profiles product development and sales team restricted its profit growth.Germany and the Nordics both reported improved profits and grew revenue in constant currency terms,although reported lower figures in reported currency.Middle East revenue grew but its profitability was reduced due to previo

62、usly reported changes in the Kurdistan project mix.Year-on-year movements in foreign currency exchange rates had little impact on total group revenue but did affect individual regions.The appreciation of the US dollar led to approximately 5%higher reported revenue growth in the US and Middle East wh

63、ile the depreciation of the Euro meant that reported revenue in Germany,France and Nordic was 10%lower than if calculated in local currency terms.The increase in the Groups adjusted operating profit reflects the growth in revenue as the gross profit and operating cost ratios remained constant at 77%

64、and 66%respectively as a proportion of revenue.We maintained a high cash conversion rate(of 120%of adjusted operating profit)with cash generated from operations increasing by 16%to 10.3m,from 8.9m in the prior year.This led to a net cash inflow of 2.6m(2014:1.3m)after investing 0.5m(2014:1.0m)in acq

65、uisition-related payments and 5.8m(2014:5.8m)in the purchase of tangible and intangible fixed assets.The latter included 4.6m(2014:4.7m)for the development of our data collection and analytics platforms.Our adjusted profit before tax rose by 19%and our adjusted earnings per share increased by 14%.St

66、rategy On Monday 10 August 2015,and for several days after,YouGov generated significant coverage in the German media.Our German head of research was on the main morning television show across the full three hours and we were on the cover of most major newspapers.Below the front-page masthead of Die

67、Welt there was a large German flag with a YouGov insight written across it,leading readers to a double-page spread of infographics and an article inside headlined:“The Soul of Germany”.A nationwide emotional debate was sparked on how the Germans really are.This all resulted from a YouGov-authored bo

68、ok,What Makes us Germans Tick that went straight to the top of the non-fiction bestseller list and whose first two editions sold out within a few days.This book was an almanac of 550 insights into how Germans think and behave.Nine months earlier,we had released the YouGov Profiles LITE app on our we

69、bsite to coincide with the UK launch of the new Profiles data product.The app allows users to type in any brand,celebrity or thing and get a detailed portrait of the fans or customers for that item.It quickly went viral on social media and for three consecutive days it was trending UK-wide on Twitte

70、r.The app received over a million searches in its first week,and was featured in almost every national television news programme and newspaper including The Times which ran the headline:“If you arent addicted to YouGov Profiles yet,you soon will be”.These stories illustrate two powerful effects:The

71、first effect is that people love having themselves reflected back in all their glory.They want to know about themselves and their neighbours and how they compare:do they belong to the 69%of Germans who love their car or the 35%of Germans who never do sports or both or neither?What differentiates peo

72、ple who shop at Tesco from those who shop at Asda?How are the media consumption habits of people who start the day with cornflakes different from those who prefer muesli?And what are the favourite celebrities of those reading TheTimes as they munch their breakfast?The second effect that these storie

73、s demonstrate is that people like to tell us about themselves.We have a panel of nearly 4 million people worldwide who provide us with a live,continuous stream of data.We have developed the YouGov Cube to make the most out of this participation.The YouGov Cube is our highly-structured,daily-updated

74、online-crunchable database which underpins and supplements our products and services.The Cube currently holds over 100,000 variables for 250,000 of our UK panellists,150,000 of our US panellists,and 50,000 of our German panellists.A core set of data is complete for all panellists in these three coun

75、tries and every day we are increasing the number of variables held.10YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015STRATEGIC REPORTChief Executives reviewfor the year ending 31 July 2015 continuedHow did all of these data-points in the YouGov Cube get there?About two-thirds from paid surveys and one-third f

76、rom Opigram,our web-based application that allows panellists to fill in details about themselves because they want to and is thus unpaid.We are increasingly making it easier for our panellists to talk to us,for example through the mobile optimisation of Opigram and through the continued roll-out of

77、the YouGov Daily mobile app to our worldwide panels.YouGov Daily is an iPhone and Android app for daily short surveys that has been launched in beta form in the UK and Germany and has proved very popular with users during its initial testing period.Together with advanced statistical analytics,this c

78、ombination of panel participation and a technology-driven survey platform gives us revolutionary data products that provide insight and fun for the media,for our panellists,andfor our commercial clients.YouGov is reaping increasing benefits from our ongoing investments in technology,panel and media

79、presence.The YouGov Cube produces two powerful syndicated data products:a longitudinal read of the data(YouGov BrandIndex,our daily brand perception tracker)and a landscape read(YouGov Profiles,our planning and segmentation tool through which one can identify target groups,their detailed characteris

80、tics and where they are to be found across digital and non-digital media).Profiles was launched commercially in November 2014 in the UK where it is meeting its key objectives and in the US and Germany in the summer of 2015.This Cube is the foundation of a new,more powerful form of custom research.In

81、stead of beginning every study as a blank page,with every respondent an unknown random entity,we can start from a position of deep granular information.We have rich,up-to-the-moment data relevant to the needs of most of our potential clients.This means we can approach clients with a wealth of inform

82、ation about their target groups and the dynamics of their markets that provides an advanced starting point for any subsequent custom research.This is a new and better way of conducting market research,offering greater value to clients than available through traditional methods in fulfilling their st

83、rategic planning and daily marketing and business work-flows.This combination of rich,single-source(and therefore connected)syndicated data,advanced custom research building on that data,and making it work for specific client campaigns and strategies,is powerful precisely as a combination:the data i

84、s not only viewed but applied.What is more,it can be applied at great speed and with high efficiency:our clients can conduct further research on the people they care about the same panellists who shared their original data with us virtually in real-time.So the muesli-munching Times reader can be ask

85、ed whether they would prefer more hazelnuts,with single-day turnaround.We have already started to extract value from the system that we have developed and are focused now on realising its full value.Our technology,especially the cloud-based big-data statistical analytics system that we are building(

86、called Crunch),has only just begun to deliver its first fruits to our clients.The deployment of faster custom research applications is still in the implementation stage.We are expanding our global panel and Cube resources to sustain our full data product range in all our markets.Our trajectory is cl

87、ear:we are systematically creating a new kind of market research which answers vital needs of clients in markets where the speed of change is increasing and where understanding of the customer-supplier-media relationship is fracturing.The irony of“big data”is that as companies get closer to their cu

88、stomers they are also becoming more confused by them,and ultimately more distant from them.Automated digital marketing systems provide significant benefits while at the same time atomising the relationship.It is YouGovs mission to use rich connected data to drive insight and restore a holistic view

89、of the company-customer relationship leading to strategies that benefit both.DividendThe Board has previously indicated that it intends to follow a progressive dividend policy.Having considered the Groups performance in the year ended 31 July 2015 and future expectations as well as its financial res

90、ources,the Board is pleased to recommend payment of a final dividend of 1.0p per share in respect of the year ended 31 July 2015,payable in December 2015.This represents anincrease of 25%over the dividend paid in 2014.ProspectsTrading in the current financial year is in line with the Boards expectat

91、ions.The Board has set ambitious goals for the growth of the business and delivery of substantial earnings growth,which it believes will create long-term value for shareholders.These goals are clearly understood by the senior management and reflected in their incentive plans.Looking ahead to the com

92、ing year,we see significant opportunities for growth for our established Data Products and Services both in YouGovs more mature markets and its newer operations.Our innovative approach to creating connected data sets also offers strong potential both for YouGov Profiles as a syndicated product and f

93、or our Custom Research services to continue winning market share.We therefore believe we remain well positioned to achieve our plans.11Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationChief Executives reviewfor the year ending 31 July 2015 continuedOverview of Global Products and

94、ServicesRevenueYear to 31 July 2015 mYear to 31 July 2014 m%ChangeData Products11.99.4*26%Data Services14.312.1*18%Total Data Products&Services 26.221.5*22%Custom Research 49.945.9*9%Group 76.167.413%*The segmental analysis for the year ended 31 July 2014 has been restated so as to ensure consistent

95、 treatment in all regions.The effect of the change from the reported analysis was to reduce Data Products revenue by 0.2m,increase Data Services revenue by 2.0m and to reduce Custom Research revenue by 1.8m.There were consequential minor adjustments to the segmental adjusted operating profit.This ch

96、ange in the basis of the comparatives was already reflected in the Interim Statement for the six months ended 31 January 2015.Data Products are comprised of YouGov BrandIndex,ourflagship brand intelligence tracker,which accounted for 87%of this categorys revenue;YouGov Reports,which provides market

97、intelligence reports and sector trackers;and the new YouGov Profiles product.Data Services revenue mainly comprises YouGov Omnibus(including field and tab services)(88%)with the balance being the provision of sample-only services in the Nordic and MiddleEast regions.Data Products Data products,once

98、mature,are more profitable than custom research as the outputs are sold to multiple clients while the input costs,such as data collection and analysis,are incurred only once.However,in their early stages of development and expansion to new markets,investment is required in product development,analyt

99、ics and sales resources.The overall Data Products margin of 19%reflected this mix with BrandIndex achieving significantly higher margins offset by the investment in our relatively newer products,including 1.0m in the year in relation to Profiles.Within Data Products,BrandIndex grew revenue by 30%to

100、10.4m(2014:8.0m)and now accounts for 14%of total Group revenue,generated from over 300 subscribers in 21 markets across the world.The US remained the largest BrandIndex market,accounting for 62%of the total and growing by 47%with the UK,its second largest market,growing by 28%,and the first locally

101、generated sales being achieved in Asia Pacific as sales teams were established in the region.BrandIndex serves major accounts among both advertising and media planning agencies on the one hand and brand owners and advertisers on the other.Its long-standing clients include OMD,Universal McCann,Bank o

102、f America,KFC and Subway.New client wins in the year include:Dominos,Emirates NBD,EDF,Reebok,Singapore Press Holdings and TeliaSonera.Adjusted Operating Profit Year to 31 July 2015 mYear to 31 July 2014 m%ChangeOperating Margin%20152014Data Products 2.31.824%19%19%Data Services 4.54.014%32%33%Total

103、Data Products&Services 6.85.817%26%27%Custom Research 6.45.224%13%11%Central costs(4.6)(3.6)29%Group 8.67.416%11%11%BrandIndex focused on three major areas in FY15 to drive growth.First,its geographical expansion continued with launches in six new markets,including in Ireland and the Asia Pacific ma

104、rkets of Australia,Indonesia,Malaysia,Singapore and Thailand.All of these new markets achieved sales in the year.Second,significant enhancements were made to the consumer profiling in BrandIndexs three largest markets:US,UK and Germany.BrandIndex data in each category can now be filtered by the most

105、 relevant consumer groups for that category.For example,restaurant groups can view data by:frequency of dining out,monthly spend on dining out,frequency of takeaway orders,monthly spend on takeaway orders,frequency of dining out for breakfast,lunch,dinner or late night,etc.Finally,enhancements were

106、made to the BrandIndex reporting tool so that it is more closely coupled with that of Profiles.For example,key consumer segments that can be identified and described in Profiles can also now be tracked on a daily basis in BrandIndex.This means that clients subscribing to the two services have an unp

107、aralleled ability to leverage the YouGov Cube so as better to plan,target,execute,track and rework advertising,media and promotional campaigns.Looking forward,BrandIndexs coverage is expected to expand to more countries in line with client demand.We also plan to introduce more automation into the Br

108、andIndex reporting tool,making it even easier for clients to derive value from the service,while also improving the scalability of the service for YouGov.12YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015STRATEGIC REPORTChief Executives review for the year ending 31 July 2015 continuedYouGov Profiles offers t

109、he largest,most detailed and real-time consumer database in the UK,US and Germany,updated weekly.The UK version of Profiles is based on a database of some 120,000 separate data variables on consumers,collected initially from approximately 250,000 YouGov panellists.YouGov Profiles connects data on pr

110、ofiles,brand,sector,and media,digital and social data all in one place combining that with attitudes,interests,views and likes.For example,it provides brand usage and perception data for some 1,000 brands(plus usage for thousands more),TV viewing for 5,000 programmes,website usage for the most activ

111、e commercial websites,thousands of likes on music artists,films,personalities andmuch more.YouGov Profiles is offered to the market as a subscription service(like BrandIndex)with clients accessing the data through a dedicated portal.Profiles complements BrandIndex since it allows users to define and

112、 understand their potential target customers while BrandIndex allows them to measure the effect of campaigns and other events on how their own and other brands are perceived.It improves the ability of marketers to understand the people and audiences that matter to them and enables media owners to id

113、entify potential advertisers and make more informed content and scheduling decisions so as to deliver the target audience that advertisers require.Profiles is delivered through a“point and click”tool,which gives users access to a wide range of detailed and connected data and provides analytics metho

114、ds with which to interrogate and interpret the data.Following its UK launch in November 2014,Profiles has begun to achieve traction with sales agencies including Dare and MEC and brand owners including EE,Experian,O2 and Universal Music as well as a three-year contract with a major US media corporat

115、ion.The US version was launched in April 2015 and the German one in August 2015 and the first sales have been achieved in both these markets.A number of clients have bought the combined Profiles and BrandIndex product set which provides a unique suite of tools that enhances brand and customer inform

116、ation through the entire marketing and advertising workflow.The preparatory work is underway,in terms of structuring and collecting the connected profile data,for the roll-out to Nordic and Asia Pacific which is planned over the coming year,with China expected to be the next launch territory.YouGov

117、Reports,which is currently only UK-based,increased revenue by 12%to 1.2m and expanded its portfolio of market intelligence reports to some 400 report titles.Its main sector focus and largest revenue generator continues to be financial services with other sectors covered including food and drink,lega

118、l services,media,technology and utilities.The Reports segment also includes HEAT(Household Economic Activity Tracker),YouGovs economic confidence tracking study,which covers UK,US and China,and specialist syndicated trackers on subjects such as pension reform,utility customer switching and media con

119、sumption.New clients this year include Nottingham Building Society and Swinton Insurance.“Wearewellpositionedtodeliverthemedium-termgoalsthatwesetouttoshareholderslastyearandseesignificantopportunitiesforfurthergrowthofourexistingdataproductsandservices,BrandIndexandOmnibus,aswellashighpotentialfort

120、heYouGovCubeandYouGovProfiles.”13Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationChief Executives review for the year ending 31 July 2015 continuedData ServicesYouGov Omnibus,our online fast-turnaround service,grew revenue by 18%to 12.6m.This performance reflected strong growth i

121、n markets where Omnibus has been launched more recently,such as France with 83%growth and USA with 44%growth,together with continued growth of 17%in the UK where Omnibus has been the market leader for a number of years.An Asia Pacific service was started during the year and is progressing as planned

122、.Omnibus has continued to enhance its service offering with innovations designed to meet clients changing needs.These include the new“Slides!”facility which provides an automated slide pack as the default means for delivering Omnibus survey results and segmental services such as Children,Parents and

123、 Shoppers continue to grow along with a new SME service which has helped to expand the client base as well as demonstrate the capability that YouGovs large panel provides to reach selected target respondents.Sales of multi-country Omnibus projects have also increased,supported by our growing interna

124、tional presence and marketing to existing clients.New clients in the year included Airbnb,Lidl,LOral,Nissan Europe and Saatchi&Saatchi.Custom ResearchYouGovs Custom Research business conducts a wide range of quantitative and qualitative research,tailored by our specialist teams to meet clients speci

125、fic requirements.The scope,scale and complexity of projects varies significantly and ranges from large-scale national and multinational tracking studies,through to more one-off surveys designed to address a specific commercial,social or political issue for the client.It is recognised in the market-p

126、lace that clients increasingly demand faster information from surveys that can also be connected with other data available to them on the attitudes and behaviours of their target groups,whether they be consumers,citizens or opinion-formers.Our panel-centric methodology,enhanced by recent development

127、 of the YouGov Cube,enables us to combine data generated from bespoke surveys with other data from our library or that forms part of a data product such as BrandIndex.Our global Custom business is already benefitting from our innovative approaches,as reflected in its 9%revenue growth over the past y

128、ear.The highest growth was in the UK which grew by 17%,winning business from existing and new clients in a range of sectors and also reflecting the benefit of the extensive media coverage of YouGovs brand.The US grew by 16%due in part to strong revenue from polling for the mid-term Congressional Ele

129、ctions as well as to continued growth in the technology and consumer goods sectors.Middle East grew by 4%while Germany and Nordic both grew in local currency terms although depreciation against the led to small declines in terms.The adjusted operating profit from Custom Research increased to 6.4m fr

130、om 5.2m and the operating margin increased from 11%to 13%.This is in line with our continuing aim of improving Custom Research profitability both by exploiting the benefits of our panel-based methodology and improving the efficiency with which Custom work is delivered through for example,the automat

131、ion of results and reports delivery.Initiatives planned for the coming year include the establishment of a shared services research operations facility in Romania which will reduce further our delivery costs.The new Crunch analytics tool has also been deployed to enable two major clients(one in USA,

132、one in UK)to receive,analyse and report their data to their internal users and management.This provides revenue opportunities for YouGov as well as significant efficiency and quality gains for the client and ourselves.Major clients in the year included Asda,Barclays,BillandMelinda Gates Foundation a

133、nd ITV(UK);Amazon,Coca-Cola,Google and Microsoft(USA);Bosch,CreditSuisse and Deutsche Telekom(Germany),Havas(France),Carlsberg and Danske Bank(Nordic);DubaiProperties andSaudi Commission for Tourism(Middle East);BlueHive/Ford,Guangzhou Cosmetics andSingtel(Asia Pacific).Central CostsCentral costs of

134、 4.6m include the Group management team and central management functions together with the teams responsible for YouGov Online and for the data analytics and related activities that support the roll-out of products and services based on YouGovs profile data library.The increase in these costs of 1.0

135、m was due to additional investment in the YouGov Online and data analytics teams and in Group management resources as well as to higher share-based payment charges.Stephan Shakespeare Chief Executive Officer 12 October 2015Our suite of products and servicesEdisquam fuga.Lit experuntios ut eat hil mo

136、 blaccaturi bere name elestoriore,ut volenimus,consequos volorrum repe pelissedis voluptatis veliscia pa net,qui denim id que perundae nam dolorec tempedi ipidit,saerspe optum ipicae pedis magnisc idunti aceatur si cus que dolliqui con endaece puditiur sit reri dolendae custia excepel iur sum quisti

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141、doluptam eostio.Itatqui cus autem ut arum quibus doluptatia dolum autas ut quias de.Tem sum recesequi dempori berferf ernatemo consequi as ut quiaeratquo et est por a pe quamendit omnihicae con rest,sam et,temporeperum re,tecati rerum,as iligendem que exerspid minctemquas era vid eium vel excesti.14

142、YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015STRATEGIC REPORTOverview of our products and servicesExperienceBrandCommsLaunchDevelopmentMarketOur suite of products and servicesOur suite of syndicated data products includes YouGovBrandIndex,YouGov Pulse,YouGov Reports and our new planning and segmentation to

143、ol,YouGovProfiles.Our other services include the popular YouGovOmnibus service as well as custom research by our sector specialists.Through the continued development of our products and services,we are building a comprehensive set of decision-making tools and resources which can support media agenci

144、es and brands owners with all stages of the marketing workflow.For example,our clients can:Understand a market through Reports;Identify target segments through Profiles;Track brand performance over time with BrandIndex;and Do a deep dive through Omnibus or Custom Research to understand why sentiment

145、s and metrics are moving.YouGov CustomResearchQuantitative and qualitative research directed by our sector specialistsYouGov OmnibusDelivering next-day answersYouGov BrandIndexOur daily brand perception trackerYouGov ProfilesOur new planning and segmentation toolYouGov PulseOur real-time online beha

146、viour trackerYouGov ReportsComprehensive market intelligence reports15Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationOverview of our products and servicesExample of using BrandIndex to track awareness:The AAs newad campaignThe day before the AA launched its new UK ad campaign,ju

147、st 6%of the 50+age group recalled seeing advertising for the AA.Four weeks after the campaign launch,awareness in this age group had risen to 19%.Our daily brand perception tracker BrandIndex,YouGovs flagship brand intelligence service,tells our clients what the world thinks of their brands and thei

148、r competitors at any given moment and helps our clients understand the link between their media and advertising efforts,brand perception,and consumer response.BrandIndex data is updated daily and holds up to seven years of historical data about our client and competitor brands,which is all instantly

149、 available to our clients through our user-friendly BrandIndex portal.This year,BrandIndex was rolled out across YouGovs new Asia Pacific territories and is currently available in the Australia,Brazil,China,Denmark,Finland,France,Germany,Indonesia,Ireland,Japan,Malaysia,Mexico,the Netherlands,Norway

150、,Saudi Arabia,Singapore,Sweden,Thailand,United Arab Emirates,United Kingdom and the United States.Every day we survey multitudes of consumers across these territories conducting 5 million BrandIndex interviews every year about thousands of brands across dozens of industry segments.During the year,si

151、gnificant enhancements were made to BrandIndexs consumer profiling capabilities in its three largest markets:US,UK and Germany.In these geographic versions of BrandIndex,data in each category can now be filtered by the most relevant consumer groups for that category.Enhancements were also made to th

152、e BrandIndex reporting tool so that it is more closely coupled with that of Profiles so that clients subscribing to the two services have an unparalleled ability to leverage the YouGov Cube so as better to plan,target,execute,track and rework advertising,media and promotional campaigns.Looking forwa

153、rd,we plan to introduce more automation into the BrandIndex reporting tool,making it even easier for clients to derive value from the service,while also improving the scalability of the service for YouGov.YouGov BrandIndex BestBrandFor several years YouGov BrandIndex has released mid-year and annual

154、 buzz rankings.This year,we decided to take a more formal approach andpromote the semi-annual releases as“YouGovBrandIndex BestBrand”.BestBrand overall and category winners are acknowledged with a personalised letter from YouGov,as well as a marketing pack that they can use in their advertising.This

155、 approach has worked well with several brands having cited placement on the BestBrand list,as intended.For example:Carnival Cruise Lines has cited its BestBrand score improvement in press releases;Amazon has cited its placement on the list in communications to investors;and Premier Inn and LV=have l

156、everaged their rankings in their advertising.01/01/2015Age 18-34Age 35-49Age 50+01/02/201501/03/201501/04/201501/05/201501/06/201501/07/201501/08/201501/09/201516YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015STRATEGIC REPORTOverview of our products and servicescontinuedOur new planning and segmentation tool

157、Our recent product development initiative has focused on harnessing the continuous stream of data that panellists share with us,in order to provide more detailed and holistic information on the attitudes and behaviours of current and potential customers for a brands products and services.The result

158、is YouGov Profiles,our ground breaking new tool for media planning and audience segmentation for use by brand owners and the agencies who serve them.Profiles improves the ability of marketers to understand the people and audiences that matter to them.It enables media owners to identify potential adv

159、ertisers and make more informed content and scheduling decisions so as to deliver the target audience that advertisers require.It allows users to profile their target audience across multi-channel data sets from a single source,with greater granularity and accuracy than ever before.Profiles offers t

160、he largest,most detailed and real-time consumer database,updated weekly.The UK version of Profiles is based on our library of some 120,000 separate data points on consumers,collected from over 250,000 YouGov panellists.It connects data on demographics,attitudes,interests,lifestyle attributes,brand a

161、ffiliation,media consumption,digital,social and mobile engagement all in one place.For example,it provides brand usage and perception data for some 1,000 brands(plus usage for thousands more),TV viewing for 5,000 programmes,website usage for the most active commercial websites,thousands of likes on

162、music artists,films,personalities and much more.Profiles is offered to the market as a subscription service(like BrandIndex)with clients accessing the data through a dedicated portal.The Profiles portal gives users access to a wide range of detailed and connected data and provides analytics methods

163、with which to interrogate and interpret the data.Profiles complements BrandIndex since it allows users to define and understand their potential target customers while BrandIndex allows them to measure the effect of campaigns and other events on how their own and other brands are perceived.This syner

164、gy improves the ability of marketers to understand the people and audiences that matter to them,while enabling media owners to identify potential advertisers and make more informed content and scheduling decisions so as to deliver the target audience that advertisers require.Profiles is currently av

165、ailable in the UK,US and Germany.Preparatory work on the YouGov Cube is underway in the Nordics and Asia Pacific,with a view to rolling out Profiles in these territories next.Customers of OcadoDEMOGRAPHICSGENDER:FEMALEAGE:25-39SOCIAL GRADE:ABC1TOP REGIONSLONDONSOUTH COASTMIDLANDSPROFESSIONSACCOUNTIN

166、GFINANCEBUSINESS17Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationOverview of our products and servicescontinuedTo generate buzz around the launch of YouGov Profiles at the Festival of Marketing(UK)in November 2014,we also released the YouGov Profiler app on our website as a show

167、case for the subscription product.The app(now called YouGov Profiles LITE)allows users to type in any brand,celebrity or thing and get a detailed portrait of the fans or customers for that item.It does this by comparing the characteristics of that specific fan/customer group with the characteristics

168、 of the rest of the population,in order to derive what is most unusual about that group.The app was an instant hit not only with potential clients but with the general public at large.It quickly went viral,with YouGov Profiler featuring across the UK media,in all national newspapers,on TV news and t

169、alk shows.The app received over a million searches in its first week was a trending topic on Twitter.The app remains free to use,with users searching for particular brands being asked to register with us in order to maximise the potential for lead generation for the full subscription product.“Ifyoua

170、rentaddictedtoYouGovProfiles yet,yousoonwillbe”The Times,18 November 2014Now showing:What is particularly true of customers of Ocado compared to general population|Sample size:11,811|9 October 2015POLITICSLEFT RIGHTCUSTOMER OFMARKS&SPENCERGATWICK AIRPORTAPPLE MACGOOGLE NEXUSYODELVIRGIN MEDIASAFARISK

171、YPETryouttheappat:yougov.co.uk/profilesliteWATCHES TV FOR.1-5 HRS P/WONLINE FOR.50+HRS P/W18YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015STRATEGIC REPORTOverview of our products and servicescontinuedOur real-time online behaviour trackerYouGov Pulse is our real-time online and mobile behaviour tracker.Puls

172、e enables brands and agencies to capture real-time,in-depth and actual online consumer behaviour across laptops,smartphones and tablets.Through Pulse,we collect information on websites visited;search-terms used;online e-commerce journeys;and applications used.Furthermore,we collect Pulse data from t

173、hree devices(desktops/laptops,smartphones and tablets)to form the full picture of online behaviour.The strength of Pulse is the relationship we have with our panellists;we have data on respondents who were already part of the YouGov community before they were asked to take part in Pulse.This means t

174、hat we know all kinds of different background information,ranging from their demographics,media habits,consumption and brand affinity.Pulse makes it possible to understand the full picture of what consumers do online and the online journeys they experience.Pulse is available as a standalone offering

175、,while its data is also leveraged by the new Profiles product.During the year,we provided a number of clients with digital and social media research across retail,media,financial services,food and drink,political and public sectors.Delivering next-day answersYouGovs very first product,YouGov Omnibus

176、,is now the market-leading online omnibus service in the UK and in recent years has been extended to our operations in France,Germany,the Middle East,the Nordics,the US and more recently the Asia Pacific.Omnibus is the perfect vehicle to find out peoples opinions,attitudes and behaviours,quickly and

177、 cost-effectively.Our Omnibus surveys are run daily,providing nationally representative responses to clients within a 48-hour turnaround(with 24-hour turnaround available in the UK).We now conduct over 2.5 million Omnibus surveys every year across our global operations.The service can provide client

178、s with data from some 20 countries and client demand for multi-country Omnibus projects continues to increase.The size and diversity of the YouGov panel has also enabled us to expand our Omnibus offering to include a number of selected target samples.Omnibus segmental services include International,

179、Children and Parents,B2B,Independent Financial Advisors and LGBT.We also run regular Omnibus surveys covering“influential”audiences in the UK including Members of Parliament.The OmniDeepDive service provides professionally moderated online focus groups with a selection of Omnibus respondents.We cont

180、inue to develop the Omnibus service to meet clients changing needs and to make the service as fast as possible;and example of this is the new“Slides!”facility which provides an automated slide pack as the default means for delivering Omnibus survey results.24h service48h service19Strategic reportGov

181、ernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationOverview of our products and servicescontinuedQuantitative and qualitative research directed by our sector specialists YouGovs Custom Research business conducts a wide range of quantitative and qualitative research,tailored by our specialist teams to

182、meet clients specific requirements.Using their in-depth sector knowledge,our custom research specialists employ both quantitative and qualitative methods to identify and analyse markets,clarify opportunities and challenges and to generate data that provides clients with actionable information.The sc

183、ope,scale and complexity of our custom research projects varies significantly and ranges from large-scale national and multinational tracking studies,through to more one-off surveys designed to address a specific commercial,social or political issue for the client.Our custom offerings include:reputa

184、tion studies(measuring public and stakeholder opinion on an organisations reputation);syndicated studies covering sector or product trends,such as our YouGov/TIME Inc.Survey of Affluence and Wealth(US)and Insurance Industry Customer Satisfaction Monitor(Germany);and our full research programme provi

185、ding a range of research,often on annual contracts,including tracking studies,qualitative research and customer profiling.Our panel-centric methodology,enhanced by recent development of the YouGov Cube,enables us to combine data generated from custom research with existing data from our library or f

186、rom products such as BrandIndex and Profiles.This allows us to minimise the proactive data collection required for each new custom project while at the same time provide our clients with more connected and tailored data than ever before.Comprehensive market intelligence reports The YouGov Reports di

187、vision consists of market intelligence reports,an economic confidence tracking study and specialist syndicated financial,media and technology trackers.The market intelligence report portfolio consists of over 400 report titles covering 1,000+topic areas ranging across the finance,technology,retail,u

188、tilities,media,legal services and food and drink sectors.Our Reports place the YouGov proprietary online panel at the heart of the proposition using opinions from hard to reach groups such as,for example,consumers who have made complaints to regulatory bodies,those who have switched bank accounts,or

189、 families with a relative in a care home.This results in our reports being packed with original consumer research data and analysis that can not be found anywhere else.Our reports use data from the YouGov Cube to create extra analysis and insight,allowing clients and potential clients to cut YouGov

190、Reports data by their own customers and segments.Reports can be bought as single copies,as a package or,increasingly,for an annual subscription covering multiple topics and reports.The Household Economic Activity Tracker(HEAT)is YouGovs economic confidence tracker.HEAT is available in the UK,US and

191、China and subscribers receive a detailed view of macro-economic and consumer trends as well as forecasts based on the earliest indication of consumer confidence and consumer reaction to economic events.We also have a range of other premium syndicated trackers on subjects such as pension reform,utili

192、ty customer switching and media consumption which are updated more quickly than alternative offers in the market.STRATEGIC REPORT20YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015YouGov Opigram TAKE PARTClick to rate any you have an opinion on.Rita OraHeston BlumenthalGok WanRefreshCELEBRITIESBased on your Li

193、kes on Facebook we have selected the following topics you may like to express your opinion aboutThe GuardianGorillazFC BarcelonaRefreshYOUR FACEBOOK LIKESDo you agree or disagree with the following statement?I dont mind paying extra for good quality products“ABOUT YOU:LUXURYDEFINATELY DISAGREETEND T

194、O DISAGREETEND TO AGREEDEFINATELY AGREEYouGov is constantly exploring new technologies and methodologies to encourage deeper,more frequent participation.One result is Opigram.Opigram is an online data-sharing platform through which our panellists can share their thoughts and build their personal pro

195、file on everything from movies to politics to consumer issues.By using Opigram,our panellists can share opinions and information with YouGov whenever they choose and not just in response to survey invitations.Opigram allows YouGov panellists to proactively share opinions,build up their own profile o

196、f likes and dislikes and compare them with others.Through a combination of ratings,inputting opinions,and agreeing or disagreeing with other panellists,panellists build up a 360-degree profile of their tastes,habits and interests.At the same time,opinions come together to form detailed pen-portraits

197、 of brands,movies,celebrities,books and much more.It provides people with a way to record their opinions and experiences that is organised to be useful to them,and to other people.The platform also offers a social network via which panellists can get to know one another over a shared opinion,hobby o

198、r passion.Since its acquisition in 2013,Opigram has become an increasingly important way for us to collect data from our panel.In the UK,US and Germany,around a third of the data we collect is now collected via Opigram.This represents an increasing proportion of data that is shared voluntarily,witho

199、ut YouGov paying out panel incentives.The innovative format of the platform has also allowed us to collect truly“long tail”data for the first time almost all of the 100,000 plus data points that go to make up the YouGov Cube are collected via Opigram.Since being launched in Germany in January 2015,t

200、he platform has already collected 4 million ratings by German panel members.As we grow our data products suite,the role of Opigram is becoming increasingly important.Together with advanced statistical analytics,this combination of panel participation and unique data collection platforms gives us rev

201、olutionary data products while providing fun for our panellists.“Great website.I enjoy reading the opinions of the other users on Opigram.Sometimes they infuriate me and sometimes I want to meet the member who posted the opinion and shake them by the hand.”“Its a great way to broadcast your opinion,

202、and to unleash a good rant thats been building up.”“YouGov allows me to connect to all you lovely people:)”“I enjoy using it when I get a craving to participate in a YouGov survey.”STRATEGIC REPORT21Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationYouGov in the pressFrom David Cam

203、eron to Benedict Cumberbatch:New app reveals Britains taste in astonishing detailNew YouGov Profiles app hooks thousands of people a second as it reveals the types of people who prefer certain vegetables,celebrities and politicians.The Telegraph,17 November 2014So Ticken die Deutschen WirklichYouGov

204、-Studie Wie wir Deutschen Ticken:Die Deutschen sind grobschlchtige biertrinker.Wirklich?Nein,wir sind ganz anders,so das ergebnis einer groen untersuchung zum wesen des bundesbrgers.Ein berraschender blick auf unsere nation.Die Welt,10 August 2015Un Franais sur deux croit un Grexit,sans forcment le

205、souhaiterDans une tude ralise par YouGov dans sept pays europens,une majorit de Franais sont pessimistes quant au maintien de la Grce dans la zone euro.Liberation,7 July 2015US and UK care the least about climate changeA new YouGov survey spanning four continents and 15 countries has found that the

206、United States and Britain are the main barriers to tackling climate change.Forbes,8 June 2015Angelina Jolie is most admired woman in the world!Director,humanitarian and mother-of-six beat Malala Yousafzai,Hillary Clinton and the Queen in global pollYouGov surveyed 25,000 people across 23 countries.J

207、olie,39,is most admired female while Bill Gates is most admired man.The Daily Mail,1 February 2015Lidl finlndarnas favoritEnligt underskningsbyrn YouGov har Lidl under de senaste ren blivit allt populrare bland finlndare.Hufvudstadsbladet,6 August 2015This is you,guv:how YouGov knows what youre real

208、ly likeThe Evening Standard,19 November 2014Spotify users happy to receive ads in return for music according to a recent YouGov studyNine out of ten Australian users of Spotifys free music service believe its fair to receive ads in order for artists to earn revenues,according to a recent YouGov stud

209、y.Campaign Brief,28 January 2015Queen of Queens and of the Kings tooOn the eve of becoming the countrys longest-reigning monarch,the Queen has also been voted the greatest,ahead of Elizabeth I and Victoria.A YouGov poll for The Sunday Times has given her a resounding lead The Sunday Times,6 Septembe

210、r 201522YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015STRATEGIC REPORTOur reachYouGov has a proprietary panel of almost 4million people across 37 countries(shown in red on the map).We are rapidly growing our panel coverage in the Asia Pacific region with our newest regional panels being in Australia,Malaysi

211、a and The Philippines.We have 28 offices worldwide in 21 countries covering Europe,Middle East and North Africa,Asia Pacific and the USA.In January 2014,YouGov acquired Decision Fuel(now YouGov Asia Pacific),gaining new offices in Hong Kong,Shanghai and Singapore.We have since expanded the Asia Paci

212、fic operations into Australia,Indonesia,Malaysia and Thailand.We recently established dedicated back office support operations in Eastern Europe:our Polish office provides support for our global online operations;while our new office in Bucharest is a shared service centre for our global data proces

213、sing operations.121.Portland,OR.2.Redwood City,CA.3.New York,N.Y.4.Waterbury,CT.5.London6.Paris7.Cologne8.Berlin9.Warsaw10.Bucharest11.Copenhagen12.Oslo13.Stockholm14.Malm15.Helsinki16.Cairo17.Erbil18.Jeddah19.Dammam20.Riyadh21.Dubai22.Shanghai23.Hong Kong24.Singapore25.Jakarta26.Bangkok27.Kuala Lum

214、pur28.Sydney 28offices worldwideReview of Geographic Operations see pages 24 to 274323Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationOur reach161720222324262725281065713151211149818211924YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015STRATEGIC REPORTReview of geographic operationsfor the

215、 year ended 31 July 2015 UKYear to 31 July 2015 mYear to 31 July 2014 m%ChangeRevenue22.919.418%Adjusted operating profit 5.65.011%Adjusted operating profit margin(%)24%26%Our UK business continued to gain market share with revenue growth of 18%and also delivered 11%higher adjusted operating profit

216、despite the planned investment of 0.5m in the sales and development team supporting the new Profiles product.Data Products and Services revenue grew by 22%to 11m and now represents 50%of total UK revenue.This high proportion remains the key driver of the UKs high profit margins and is the model whic

217、h we aim to emulate across the Group.UK BrandIndex revenue grew by 28%and its UK client base increased to 87.Revenue from UK Omnibus grew by 17%to 7.4m,aided by the widespread media coverage of Scottish Referendum and General Election polling which stimulated the flow of enquiries from a wide range

218、of corporate and agency clients.There was also strong growth in the segmental Omnibuses,notably the recently launched SME Omnibus.The new 24-hour standard service and the“Slides!”facility first offered to clients last year have also helped YouGov Omnibus to maintain its UK market leadership position

219、.UK Custom Research revenue also grew strongly by 17%serving new and existing clients across many sectors.USAYear to 31 July 2015 mYear to 31 July 2014 m%ChangeRevenue25.921.918%Adjusted operating profit 4.63.054%Adjusted operating profit margin(%)18%14%YouGovs US business has continued to develop i

220、ts presence and brand awareness in the market and this led to revenue growth this year of 18%in reported currency terms(13%at constant currency).Its profitability also increased further with a 54%uplift in adjusted operating profit and an increase in the operating margin from 14%to 18%.This was due

221、both to the higher proportion of Data Products and Services revenue and to the more efficient deployment of Custom Research resources across the nationwide office network that has been achieved over the last two years.Data Products and Services revenue grew by 39%in reported currency terms(33%at con

222、stant currency)to 7.4m and it now represents 29%of total US revenue.BrandIndex increased revenue by 47%(40%at constant currency)to 6.5m and now has 98 US clients.Omnibus,which is still a relatively new service in USA,increased revenue by 44%(37%at constant currency).US Custom Research revenue grew b

223、y 16%to 18.5m(10%growth at constant currency),aided by the improved awareness of the YouGov brand resulting from Congressional Election polling and growth of established client accounts.Its operating profit also increased significantly by 54%reflecting the greater operational efficiencies achieved.2

224、5Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationReview of geographic operationsfor the year ended 31 July 2015 Middle EastGermanyYear to 31 July 2015 mYear to 31 July 2014 m%ChangeRevenue10.710.16%Adjusted operating profit 1.52.2(32%)Adjusted operating profit margin(%)14%22%Midd

225、le East revenue grew by 6%overall(1%at constant currency)although the units profit margins fell from 22%to 14%and its adjusted operating profit was 32%lower.While revenue from the UAE(Dubai)and Saudi-based operations grew by 33%and their operating profit increased by 87%,the Kurdistan units revenue

226、fell by 9%and its operating profit by 55%.The reduced profitability in Kurdistan was due to changes in the mix of project work and to investment in the local operation to support longer-term growth in response to client demand.Custom Research continues to makes up most(88%)of the Middle East revenue

227、 but good progress was made in expanding the Data Products and Services offering whose revenue grew by 22%.BrandIndex was launched in Egypt and a suite of Omnibus products were launched to make the service better tailored to regional needs.This helped Omnibus revenue almost to double in the year.Yea

228、r to 31 July 2015 mYear to 31 July 2014 m%ChangeRevenue8.98.9Adjusted operating profit 0.90.576%Adjusted operating profit margin(%)10%6%German revenue grew by 9%at constant currency,although static in reported terms due to the Euro depreciation.As importantly,the units profitability improved signifi

229、cantly as the actions previously taken to drive growth in higher margin areas and reduce costs,bore fruit.Custom Research revenue increased by 9%at constant currency(flat in reported terms)and it improved from virtually break-even to a profit margin of 8%.Data Products and Services revenue also grew

230、 by 10%at constant currency(although flat in reported currency)with a 21%rise in BrandIndex and a 5%rise in Omnibus.Much groundwork has been laid this year and is continuing so as to support profitable growth based on the core YouGov model.A vigorous marketing and PR programme has helped to improve

231、awareness of YouGovs brand and innovative offerings in Germany culminating in enormous publicity around the What Makes us Germans Tick book.This helped to prepare the way for the launch of the Cube and Profiles in Germany.A small office has been opened in Berlin to develop business with the many pub

232、lic and private organisations based in the capital,which should especially benefit Omnibus growth.26YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015STRATEGIC REPORTReview of geographic operationsfor the year ended 31 July 2015 continuedNordicFranceYear to 31 July 2015 mYear to 31 July 2014 m%ChangeRevenue7.58

233、.0(6%)Adjusted operating profit 1.00.822%Adjusted operating profit margin(%)13%10%Our Nordic business continued to make progress in improving its profitability with a 22%increase in adjusted operating profit and a 3%point increase in the margin.It also returned to revenue growth of 3%at constant cur

234、rency although a decline was seen in reported currency.The Danish business(which accounts for 52%)grew revenue by 8%at constant currency and Norway by 14%while Swedish revenue was flat.Data Products and Services revenue increased by 9%at constant currency(2%in reported currency)with BrandIndex perfo

235、rming strongly in the region with a 24%revenue increase winning several new clients.Omnibus revenue was however relatively static with lower field and tab business although the regular Omnibus service grew faster.Year to 31 July 2015 mYear to 31 July 2014 m%ChangeRevenue1.20.853%Adjusted operating p

236、rofit/(loss)0.1(0.1)Adjusted operating profit margin(%)13%(16%)The French operation continued to develop in line with expectations,achieving a further year of strong growth and delivering its first annual profits.Revenue grew by 69%at constant currency,although by only 53%in reported currency.This s

237、uccess is based on a model which focuses on offering BrandIndex and Omnibus to the French market,with these accounting respectively for 33%and 55%of revenue,supplemented by a small amount of Custom Research work.Omnibus was the main growth driver in the year,with revenue 83%up on prior year,as it mo

238、ved to an almost daily frequency and attracted a number of new clients especially among the digital and technology sectors.This was helped by the development of media partnerships which now include Liberation,Huffington Post and i-Tl.BrandIndex grew revenue by 20%at constant currency(8%in reported c

239、urrency)both through internationally referred clients and a growing list of local clients.We will continue to invest in further expansion of the business in the coming year including recruitment of more sales and research staff.27Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationRe

240、view of geographic operationsfor the year ended 31 July 2015 continuedAsia PacificYear to 31 July 2015 mYear to 31 July 2014 m%ChangeRevenue1.40.2641%Adjusted operating loss(0.4)(0.3)This is the first full year of reporting for YouGov Asia Pacific,which was acquired(as Decision Fuel)in January 2014.

241、As planned,there has been a rapid expansion in regional coverage as well as in the staff resources and panel capacity required to support growth.The geographic footprint now extends to new locations in Bangkok,Jakarta,Kuala Lumpur and Sydney in addition to the original offices in Hong Kong,Singapore

242、 and Shanghai.The team has been boosted through new hires in business development,research and support roles bringing it to 30 staff at the year-end.Revenue from Data Products and Services made up 83%of the total with BrandIndex,Omnibus and the locally developed proprietary mobile service all contri

243、buting.To reflect client demand,BrandIndex is now available in seven regional markets:Japan,China,Indonesia,Thailand,Singapore,Malaysia and Australia.Significant momentum has been generated for the Omnibus service which is new to the region and whose revenue was the single largest contributor in the

244、 year.Focused Omnibus products(including targeting demographics for specific use cases such as campaign effectiveness)will be launched in the year.A foundation for the regional launch of Profiles(beginning with China)is being created with the development of an Asia Pacific Cube which will be expande

245、d as the panel size continues to grow.Alan NewmanChief Financial Officer28YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015STRATEGIC REPORTChief Financial Officers report for the year ended 31 July 2015Key performance indicatorsThe Board monitors business performance via six financial key performance indicator

246、s:revenue,adjusted operating profit,adjusted operating profit margin,adjusted earnings per share,revenue per head and staff costs as a percentage of revenue.Income Statement ReviewGroup revenue for the year to 31 July 2015 of 76.1m was 13%higher than the prior year.The Groups gross profit(calculated

247、 after deducting costs ofpanel incentives and external data collection)increased by 7.1m to 58.6m and the gross margin remained at 77%.Operating expenses(excluding amortisation and exceptional items)of 50.1m increased by 5.9m.The growth rate of 13%was broadly in line with revenue sothat the operatin

248、g expense ratio stayed constant at 66%of revenue.The average number of staff(full-time equivalents)employed during the year increased by 44 to 622 from 578.Average revenue per head increased slightly to 122,000 from 117,000 and staff costs as a percentage of revenue fell by 2%points to 46%.Adjusted

249、group operating profit increased by 16%to 8.6m compared to 7.4m in the previous year.There was a net finance cost of 0.2m compared to 0.3m last year,primarily due to foreign exchange translation losses.This resulted in an adjusted profit before taxation of 9.1m,an increase of 19%over the prior year.

250、Adjusted earnings per share for theyear rose by 0.9p to 7.0p.The statutory operating profit(which is after charging amortisation of 4.6m and exceptional items of 1.1m)increased by 1.8m to 2.9m due to lower exceptional items partly offset by higher amortisation charges.This wasreflected in the increa

251、se of 1.9m in statutory profitbefore taxation to 2.7m.“Group revenue for the year to 31 July 2015 of 76.1m was 13%higher than the prior year,while group adjusted operating profit increased by 16%to 8.6m compared to 7.4 in the previous year.”Analysis of operating profit and earnings per share31 July

252、2015 00031 July 2014 000Group operating profit before amortisation of intangibles,impairment&exceptional costs 8,5707,389Share-based payments669547Imputed interest3232Net finance income/(cost)(220)(292)Share of post-tax loss in associates42(14)Adjusted profit before tax9,0937,662Adjusted taxation1(2

253、,016)(1,635)Adjusted profit after tax attributable to owners of the parent7,0776,027Adjusted earnings per share(pence)7.06.11.The adjusted taxation charge reflects the tax effect of the adjustments to reported profit before tax.For the year ended 31 July 2015,it also excludes a one-off credit of 1.2

254、m relating to the recognition of a deferred tax asset arising from available tax losses in Germany.Amortisation of Intangible Assets and ImpairmentAmortisation charges for intangible assets of 4.6m were 0.6m higher than the previous year.Amortisation of the consumer panel increased by 0.4m to 1.1m r

255、eflecting the additional investment made to grow the panel in the past two years.Amortisation of software increased by 0.3m to 2.7m,1.8m(2014:1.6m)of this charge related to assets created through the Groups own internal development activities,0.7m(2014:0.7m)to separately acquired assets and 0.2m(201

256、4:0.2m)to amortisation on assets acquired through business combinations.Exceptional Items Exceptional costs of 1.1m(2014:2.4m)were incurred in the year.0.4m of this related to acquisitions representing contingent consideration,which is deemed under IFRS3 to be staff compensation costs.0.5m of the to

257、tal acquisition-related cost related to CoEditor Limited with a credit of 0.1m in respect of YouGov Asia Pacific.The remaining balance of exceptional costs(0.7m)related to the costs of restructuring,of which 0.3m was incurred in the US business and 0.1m in each of the UK,Middle East and German busin

258、esses.1.Staff costs are defined for this purpose as excluding the deemed remuneration element of acquisition consideration charged.2015201420132012201111.311.09.69.69.4Adjusted operating profit margin(%)201520142013201220114648505049Staff costs as a percentage of revenue1(%)2015201420132012201112211

259、7125121118Revenue per head(000)29Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationChief Financial Officers report for the year ended 31 July 2015Cash FlowThe Group generated 10.3m(2014:8.9m)in cash from operations(before paying interest and tax)including a 1.2m(2014:1.8m)net worki

260、ng capital inflow,with the cash conversion rate remaining at 120%of adjusted operating profit.Expenditure on investing and financing activities reduced to 6.2m(2014:6.7m)of which 0.5m(2014:1.0m)related to acquisitions,including the payment of deferred consideration,and 5.8m(2014:5.8m)to capital expe

261、nditure.1.1m(2014:1.0m)of the capital expenditure was spent on purchasing tangible assets.4.6m(2014:4.7m)was spent on intangible assets,of which 1.5m(2014:1.7m)was for panel recruitment and 3.1m(2014:2.9m)on software development including 2.3m(2014:2.3m)arising from internally generated assets.Taxat

262、ion The Group had a tax credit of 0.6m(2014:0.3m charge)on a reported basis,the current tax charge was 0.7m(2014:0.5m)with a deferred tax credit of 1.3m(2014:0.2m).On an adjusted basis,the tax charge was 2.0m(2014:1.6m),which represents a tax rate of 22%onthe adjusted profit before tax,in line with

263、the prior year.Balance Sheet Total shareholders funds increased to 61.6m from 57.9m at 31 July 2014 and total net assets increased to 61.6m compared to 58.0m at 31 July 2014.Net cash balances increased by 2.8m to 10.0m.Net current assets increased to 10.3m from 8.4m.Current assets increased by 3.5m

264、to 33.3m,with debtor days reducing to 56 days from 64 days.Current liabilities increased by 1.5m to 23.0m,with creditor days decreasing to 38 days from 44 days at31 July 2014.Panel DevelopmentAs at 31 July 2015,the Groups online panel comprised atotal of 3.7m panellists,an increase of 22%from the to

265、tal of 3.0m as at 31 July 2014.There was substantial investment in panellist recruitment during the year both to support development of the newer regional panels such as in France and in particular Asia Pacific and to extend the coverage of more mature panels.All the panels grew as aresult and the p

266、anel sizes by region were:RegionPanel Size at 31 July 2015Panel Size at 31 July 2014USA1,596,4961,526,001UK752,277600,106Middle East481,036388,546Germany 199,200170,775Nordic179,589140,994France132,876108,723Asia Pacific312,83361,862Total 3,654,3072,997,00730YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015STR

267、ATEGIC REPORTChief Financial Officers report for the year ended 31 July 2015 continued“The Group generated 10.3m in cash from operations(before paying interest and tax)with the cash conversion rate remaining at 120%of adjusted operating profit.”Corporate Development ActivitiesAs previously reported,

268、the Group acquired 100%of Doughty Media 2 Limited(“DM2”),which owns 68%of CoEditor Limited,the company that developed the Opigram service,in the year ended 31 July 2014.The purchase consideration payable for DM2 included an element which was contingent upon certain performance criteria being achieve

269、d over the two years ended 31 January 2015 and on Stephan Shakespeare and one other vendor(the Opigram manager)remaining in YouGovs employment until 31 January 2015.These conditions were satisfied and therefore the Board(excluding Stephan Shakespeare)approved on 23 March 2015 the issue and allotment

270、 to the vendors of a total of 1,810,226 new YouGov shares in accordance with the terms of the sale and purchase agreement.On 9 February 2015,YouGov entered into an agreement with Portent.io Limited,a start-up business specialising in research and predictive analysis for the film industry under which

271、 YouGov has made an initial investment for a 10%shareholding,increasing to a maximum of 35%if YouGov provides further investment in specified tranches over the following year.Portent.io and YouGov intend also to collaborate through the use of YouGovs opinion data in the development of Portents produ

272、cts.As at 31 July 2015,YouGovs shareholding in Portent.io stood at 25%.Proposed dividend The Board is recommending the payment of a final dividend of 1.0p per share for the year ended 31 July 2015.If shareholders approve this dividend at the AGM,itwill be paid on 14 December 2015 to all shareholders

273、 who were on the Register of Members at close of business on 4 December 2015.Alan NewmanChief Financial Officer 12 October 201531Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationChief Financial Officers report for the year ended 31 July 2015 continued32YouGov Annual Report and Acc

274、ounts 2015STRATEGIC REPORTPrincipal risksOur approach to risk managementThe Board reviews risks facing the business on a regular basis.The following paragraphsdescribe theprincipal risks and uncertainties identified.RiskDescriptionMitigationOperational Risks1.AcquisitionsThe Directors may opt to exp

275、and and develop the business by making targeted acquisitions.The risk exists that integration of any acquired business will be unsuccessful or that key employees or clients of the acquired business will be lost.Directors aim to mitigate this risk by careful due diligence and communication with the c

276、lients of target companies.The Directors also seek to communicate YouGovs strategy to staff and ensure that acquisition terms,levels of remuneration and benefits are appropriate to retain key employees.2.CompetitionYouGov faces competition both from larger international research groups with well-dev

277、eloped brands as well as smaller,businesses operating in each geography.Although it is a leader in Internet based research,other research organisations have adopted online methods.The Groups strategy is to focus on business areas in which it has demonstrable competitive advantages;these include its

278、data products and services and custom research services that are centred on data generated from its proprietary panels.3.InternationalisationYouGov now has wide geographical spread.Monitoring and reporting these businesses performance relies upon the operation of key controls.There is a risk that th

279、ese controls may not operate effectively in each jurisdiction.The performance of all of YouGovs units is monitored and managed through control and reporting processes that are applied consistently and supported by the use by all units of a Group-wide ERP system that includes CRM,financial reporting

280、and budgeting and forecasting applications.4.Projected growthThe Companys plans incorporate continued growth in the coming years.This growth will be in part dependent on the marketing and research budgets of target clients over which YouGov has little control.This is mitigated through effective key

281、client relationship management and continually reviewing order pipelines and sales targets.5.Technology development A strong software platform is essential for carrying out online research.This software must be reviewed and updated on a regular basis to ensure that it does not become superseded by n

282、ewer technologies in other companies.YouGov has an experienced team of software specialists with responsibility for developing its proprietary software systems.An Executive Director sits on the management-level Technology Board and regularly reports on developments tothe Board.6.Technology servicesY

283、ouGovs products and services are reliant on our technical infrastructure.A failure in the operation of the Groups key systems or infrastructure could cause a failure of service to our customers and panellists.The Group makes significant investment in technology infrastructure to ensure that it conti

284、nues to support the growth of the business.We also continue to invest in technology to respond to the growing range of cyber-related threats and risks.Business continuity and disaster recovery plans are in place and are regularly assessed and tested.33Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAd

285、ditional informationPrincipal risksRiskDescriptionMitigation7.ReputationFailure to protect the Groups reputation could lead to a loss of trust and confidence and a decline in our customer base,and also affect our ability to recruit and retain staff and panellists.Damage to our reputation and our bra

286、nd name could arise from a range of events,for example from our services being of poor quality or the leak of confidential data.We have robust internal policies on data protection,data handling and privacy across all our territories,while accuracy and quality are embedded in the Group culture.We und

287、ertake continuous improvement of our research methodologies and data security measures.In addition,YouGov proactively cultivates a strong,positive media presence and we have a marketing team whose work is focused on proactive PR.8.StaffThe success of YouGov will be influenced by the recruitment and

288、retention of high calibre staff.Senior staff that manage key client relationships and those with software expertise are particularly important to the continuing development and smooth running of the Company.YouGov has built account and project management teams for key clients and larger research pro

289、jects.In this way the client relationships and project-related knowledge are shared among a number of individuals rather than concentrated with one person.We also incentivise key personnel and encourage retention through participation in employee share option schemes.Financial Risks*9.Currency riskT

290、he Group is exposed to currency translation risk in the consolidation of accounting records.The main reporting currencies of Group subsidiaries are Sterling,US Dollar,Euro and Arab Emirate Dirham.The Group aims to align assets and liabilities in a particular market.It also seeks to reduce currency r

291、isk by invoicing in local currency thus reducing exposure in normal trading.10.Liquidity riskThe Group is exposed to liquidity risk in both its operating and investing activities.The Group seeks to ensure that sufficient liquidity is available to meet foreseeable needs and to invest cash assets safe

292、ly and profitably.The Group currently has no general borrowing arrangement in place.11.Interest rate riskThe Group is exposed to interest rate risk,which results largely from its investing activities.Where possible,the Group manages its interest rate risk on cash balances by negotiating fixed intere

293、st rates on deposits for periods of up to three months.12.Capital riskThe risk of the Group making a loss on the value of capital investments,such as acquired businesses.The Group manages its capital to ensure that all entities within the Group are able to continue as a going concern.It undertakes a

294、 detailed investment appraisal process prior to making any material capital investments.*The financial risks facing the Group are discussed in more detail in Note 20 on pages 89 to 91.The Strategic Report is approved by the Board and signed on its behalf by:Stephan Shakespeare Chief Executive Office

295、r 12 October 2015CONSUMERS OF LUXURY GOODS SAMPLE SIZE 4,164Sample demographicGender:FemaleAge:40-54Social grade:C2DE SUPPORTERS OF STRICTER GUN LAWS SAMPLE SIZE 9,779Sample demographicGender:MaleAge:55+Social grade:ABC1 Governance34YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015GovernanceSECTION CONTENTBoar

296、d of Directors 36 Corporate Governance Report 38 Corporate Social Responsibility 41Remuneration Report 42Directors Report 47Directors Responsibilities Statement 50 Independent Auditors Report to the 51 Members of YouGov plc on the Group Financial Statements35GOVERNANCE36YouGov Annual Report and Acco

297、unts 2015Board of DirectorsAlan Newman Chief Financial OfficerRoger Parry CBE Non-Executive ChairmanExperienceRoger is also Chairman of Aves Enterprises,MSQ Partners and Mobile Streams.He is a Visiting Fellow of Oxford University.Roger was previously a consultant with McKinsey&Co;CEO of More Group,a

298、nd Clear Channel International;Chairman of Johnston Press,Future and Shakespeares Globe Trust.Roger was educated at the universities of Oxford and Bristol.He was awarded the CBE in 2014.He is the author of five books:People Businesses;Enterprise;Making Cities Work;Delivering the Neural Nudge and The

299、 Ascent of Media.ExperienceAlan has been YouGovs Chief Financial Officer since 2008.Prior to joining YouGov,Alan was a Partner with Ernst&Young LLP and KPMG LLP where he led the TMT sector financial management consulting practice.Alans previous corporate management roles include International Financ

300、e Director of Longman and Group Development Manager of MAI plc(now United Business Media).He is a Trustee of the Freud Museum London anda Director of the Quoted Companies Alliance.Alan is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and has an MA in Modern Languages(French and Spanish)from Cam

301、bridge University.Stephan Shakespeare Chief Executive OfficerDoug RiversChief ScientistExperienceStephan co-founded YouGov in 2000(in collaboration with Nadhim Zahawi).One of the pioneers of Internet research,Stephan has been the driving force behind YouGovs innovation-led strategy.He was chair of t

302、he Data Strategy Board for the Department for Business,Innovation and Skills 2012/13 and led the Shakespeare Review of Public Sector Information.He is a member of the Governments Public Sector Transparency Board and a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery.Stephan has an MA in English Language and

303、 Literature from Oxford University.ExperienceDoug was CEO of YouGovs American business from 2007 to 2011,following YouGovs acquisition of Polimetrix which Doug founded in 2004.Prior to this he was CEO of Knowledge Networks.He has been a Professor of Political Science at Stanford University in Califo

304、rnia since 1989,and is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.Doug holds a PhD from Harvard University and a BA from Columbia University.37Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationBoard of DirectorsBen Elliot Non-Executive DirectorExperienceBen Elliot is the co-founder

305、of Quintessentially,the luxury lifestyle group and 24-hour global concierge service,which he started in London in December 2000 and which now operates in 60 cities globally.Ben is the Chairman of the Quintessentially Foundation which has raised over 6m for charity.Ben is also a Partner in Hawthorn,a

306、 successful corporate communications business.He regularly contributes to the Financial Times,New York Times,Tatler and other publications.Ben was Executive Producer of the award-winning feature documentary Fire in Babylon.He is also a Trustee of the Margaret Thatcher Centre and the Winston Churchil

307、l Memorial Trust as well as being on the development boards of the Royal Albert Hall and Victoria&Albert Museum.Rosemary Leith Non-Executive DirectorExperienceRosemary is a Fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet&Society at Harvard University and a Founding Director of the World Wide Web Foundatio

308、n.She is also a Director of Herdict(Berkman Center)that uses crowdsourcing to present a real-time view of Internet accessibility around the world.Rosemary currently advises a number of technology businesses and academic institutions in Europe and the USA.She has been the Chair of the World Economic

309、Forum Global Agenda Council on Future of Internet Security and is a member of the Advisory Boards of Infinite Analytics(Boston and Mumbai),Queens University School of Business,Canada,Wolfson College,Oxford and University of the Arts London.Rosemary holds a Bachelor of Commerce(Hons)in Finance and Ac

310、counting from Queens University,Canada.Roles Chair of the Remuneration Committee Member of the Audit CommitteeNick Jones Non-Executive DirectorExperienceNick is Chief Financial Officer of Attenda,the leading business critical IT company.Prior to this,he was CFO at Achilles Group and Global Head of F

311、inance for Reuters plc where he also led the integration of Thomson and Reuters.Nick has held senior financial roles in technology and media businesses in the UK,the US and Europe including Virgin Media,Phillips Electronics and RR Donnelley.He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Acc

312、ountants and holds a BA(Hons)in Accounting and Finance.Roles Senior Independent Director Chair of the Audit Committee Member of the Remuneration Committee GOVERNANCE38YouGov Annual Report and Accounts 2015Corporate Governance Reportfor the year ended 31 July 2015The YouGov plc Board is committed to

313、delivering high standards of corporate governance commensurate with its size,stage of growth and the nature of the Groups activities to its shareholders and other stakeholders including employees,panellists,customers,suppliers and the wider community.As YouGov is an AIM-listed company,it is up to th

314、e Board to decide which,if any,corporate governance code it wishes to adopt.The Board has decided to follow the principles of the Quoted Companies Alliance Corporate Governance Code for Small and Mid-Size Quoted Companies(the QCA Code)wherever possible and as appropriate to the size,nature and resou

315、rces of the Group.The Quoted Companies Alliance is the membership organisation which represents the interests of small and mid-size quoted companies,of which YouGov is a member.The QCA Code aims to apply the key elements of the UK Corporate Governance Code and other relevant governance guidance to t

316、he needs of small and medium-sized listed Plcs.The Board At 31 July 2015,the Board consisted of three Executive Directors and four Non-Executive Directors,including a Non-Executive Chairman.The names of the Directors and their respective responsibilities are shown on pages 36 and 37.Board compositio

317、n changes in the year include the appointment of Rosemary Leith in February 2015,and the resignation of Sir Peter Bazalgette in May 2015 after 10 years of service.The Board operates both formally,through Board and Committee meetings,and informally,through regular contact amongst Directors.High-level

318、 decisions on such matters as strategy,financial performance and reporting,dividends,risk management,major capital expenditure,acquisitions and disposals are reserved for the Board or Board Committees.The Board receives regular information from management on the Groups performance and appropriate in

319、formation relating to the agenda for formal Board and Committee meetings is sent to members in advance of those meetings.All Directors are required to submit themselves for re-election at the first Annual General Meeting following their appointment and subsequently on a rotational basis,which ensure

320、s that each Director is submitted for re-election approximately every three years.Proposals to re-elect Directors are set out in the Notice of the Annual General Meeting.Board evaluationThe Board undertakes an evaluation of its own performance on an annual basis.As part of this evaluation,the Chairm

321、an undertakes an individual assessment with each Director and holds a meeting with the Non-Executive Directors without the Executive Directors present.The Board meets once a year without the Chairman present to appraise the Chairmans performance.This conclusion of these assessments undertaken during

322、 the year was that the Board and its individual members continue to perform effectively.Shareholder communications The Boards assessment of the Companys position and prospects are set out in the Chairmans statement on pages 4 and 5,the Chief Executive Officers review on pages 8 to 13 and the Chief F

323、inancial Officers report on pages 28 to 31.The Executive Directors meet regularly with institutional shareholders to discuss the Groups performance and future prospects.At these meetings the views of institutional shareholders are canvassed and subsequently reported back to the Board.The Annual Gene

324、ral Meeting is available as a forum for communication with private shareholders.The Investor Relations section of the company website is regularly updated and amended with the aim of providing information to shareholders.39Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsAdditional informationCorporate

325、 Governance Reportfor the year ended 31 July 2015Board Committees Board and Committee attendance The following table sets out the attendance of Directors at Board and Committee meetings during 2014/15.DirectorBoardMeetingsMaximum 7Remuneration Committee MeetingsMaximum 4Audit Committee MeetingsMaxim

326、um 3Stephan Shakespeare72(in attendance)Alan Newman73(in attendance)3(in attendance)Doug Rivers7Roger Parry 7Sir Peter Bazalgette1542Nick Jones743Rosemary Leith242Ben Elliot61.Sir Peter Bazalgette stepped down from the Board on 29 May 2015.2.Rosemary Leith joined the Board on 1 February 2015.Remuner

327、ation Committee The Remuneration Committee operates under Terms of Reference agreed by the whole Board.Its members were SirPeter Bazalgette(Chairman)and Nick Jones until 29 May 2015 when Sir Peter resigned from the Board;since then and to the date of this Report,its members are Rosemary Leith(Chair)

328、and Nick Jones.The Remuneration Policy developed by the Committee and details of each Directors remuneration are presented in the Directors Remuneration Report on pages 42 to 46.Nomination Committee The whole Board acts as the Nomination Committee,when the need arises,to determine the process for an

329、d make recommendations on the nomination of Directors of the Company.It operates as such under Terms of Reference agreed by the whole Board.Audit Committee The Audit Committee operates under Terms of Reference agreed by the whole Board and meets with the auditors to consider the Companys financial r

330、eporting in advance of its publication.Its members are Nick Jones(Chairman)and Rosemary Leith.Nick Jones has recent and relevant financial experience.The Audit Committee reports to the Board on any matters in respect of which it considers that action or improvement is needed,and makes recommendation

331、s as to the steps to be taken.In particular the Committee is responsible for:ensuring that the financial performance of the Group is properly monitored and reported;monitoring the formal announcements relating to financial performance;meeting the auditors and agreeing audit strategy;reviewing report

332、s from the auditors and management relating to accounts and internal control systems;and making recommendations to the Board in respect of external auditor appointment and remuneration.The effectiveness of the internal control systems is under constant review and a formal assessment of internal cont

333、rols has been conducted.The Audit Committee will monitor the implementation of a series of detailed steps to improve the control environment.Although there was no formal internal audit during the year,the accounting functions were subject to periodic internal review.As the business continues to grow we keep the Groups need for an internal audit function under constant review.GOVERNANCE40YouGov Ann