YouGov has promoted Laura Robbie as CEO of the Asia Pacific region.
Robbie steps up to the new role after serving as managing director, Australia, for the market research and data analytics company since July 2021. She will celebrate her three-year anniversary at YouGov in October this year.
Originally from Scotland, Robbie moved to Australia in 2008, prior to which she worked in international market research companies in Europe and the US. Since moving to Sydney, she has also worked extensively across India and the Asia Pacific, including China and Japan.
Robbie said: “One of the key areas I will focus on in this role is to build on the strong foundations we have in place to grow a regional team that transcends our geographical borders.
“We have so much talent in the region and the ability to service clients globally and regionally, whilst maintaining the best what makes each market unique.
“I think empowering our people to showcase their skills will drive momentum to power our ambitious growth plans and to increase our brand awareness of YouGov in Asia Pac,” she added.
Despite having built a career in data, Robbie’s skills lies as a linguist and a storyteller but not a researcher.
“I have a very clever team who know research inside out, so there are certain things I leave to the true experts, and like me, they are intrinsically motivated, which is something I really rely on,” she admitted.
Robbie added: “Working in data analytics and research is all about people. I am intensely interested in people, in understanding people and in bringing the human aspect to business.”
“I believe that we can only do our best work when we can confidently bring our whole selves to our work. We all wear so many hats and our lives are challenged by so many external factors. Ultimately, our work is about people – our team, our panellists, our clients. If we look after our people, we prioritise and we focus well, the success will follow.”
Robbie credited much of her career success thus far to having people who helped push her out of her comfort zone and hopes to inspire and motivate others to do the same.
“I want to be able to create an environment where everyone feels safe to showcase their talents – even the ones that they don’t know that they have yet. Throughout my career I have been given lots of opportunities and people have constantly pushed me beyond my boundaries.
“I’ve been asked to take on more roles, bigger roles, larger teams, teams encompassing areas I knew virtually nothing about. I used to say yes to every professional opportunity and that served me well but now it’s about being a little more discerning and proactively going after opportunities that feel ambitious and exciting,” she added.
Robbie also acknowledged the substantial leadership and support of outgoing APAC CEO Julien Chevignon.
“Julien and his regional team built the APAC region for YouGov and off the back of this success, will be taking up the role of YouGov CEO for Western Europe,” she added.
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Top image: Laura Robbie