Gross (pictured) has worked at YouGov since January 2024, when he joined the company as executive vice-president of sales as part of its acquisition of GfK’s Consumer Panels Business (CPS GfK).

Prior to joining GfK in 2014, Gross also worked at Nielsen, Tchibo and Melitta.

CPS GfK’s absorption into YouGov, with the branch now having dropped its GfK branding, has increased YouGov’s presence in DACH, with 70% of its current revenue in the region coming from former CPS GfK as well as a majority of employees based in Germany.

Gross joins Will Ullstein, UK chief executive officer, and Julien Chevignon, Europe chief executive officer, to complete the senior commercial leadership team in Europe reporting into YouGov chief commercial officer Tom Fisher. 

Fisher said: “I am delighted that Matthias is our new DACH CEO. He brings a deep understanding of how quality data shows customers the reality of their worlds.

“With his wealth of experience across the broad spectrum of market research and intelligence – from rich shopper data to quant and qual – he is the right person to lead the region as YouGov fully harnesses the opportunities CPS GfK data presents.

“With the rebranding of CPS GfK as YouGov and as integration continues apace, DACH is now one of the largest markets for YouGov. With Matthias at the helm of our unified organisation in such a key region we have fantastic opportunities for growth.”