At Nielsen, Pike (pictured) was managing director of esports, games and the company’s game intelligence business SuperData, having launched and grown the esports vertical. 

She also previously formed and led an advisory board of experts, including  rights-holders, broadcasters and brands.  

In the newly created role, based in the US, Pike will lead YouGov’s analytics in the esports and gaming sectors as the company looks to grow its business in these areas. 

Frank Saez, global head of sector experts, YouGov, said: “We’ve always had the tools for our esports and gaming clients, but Nicole knows better than anyone else how the sector can use them – and how we can uniquely develop them for the industry.”