GfK expands Michaelsen’s role to UK and van der Werf exits

Van der Werf has only been in the role for six months, having joined the company as global director, strategy group, in December 2014. GfK said he was leaving “to pursue new opportunities”.

Michaelsen joined GfK from Nielsen earlier this year and most recently has been in charge of GfK’s consumer experiences business in the Nordics. Born and educated in Denmark, Michaelsen was at Nielsen for 17 years rising to senior vice-president.

Debbie Pruent, member of the Management Board of GfK and responsible for the consumer experiences sector, said: “Ivar Michaelsen combines strategic and operational experience paired with a strong international focus. This will help our team in the United Kingdom in further developing the UK business while we push our global products and further drive integration throughout GfK.”

The announcement comes only a couple of weeks after the news of board changes at GfK, with Pruent retiring at the end of the year.