Management Team

Debra Pruent
Chief Operating Officer
GfK Custom Research North America

Debra A. Pruent (46) will join Custom Research, which accounts for approximately half of GfK’s sales. As a new Management Board member, she will be responsible for the company’s Custom Research activities in North America. The region comprises the USA and Canada and represents the biggest economic area for market research. American Debra A. Pruent will take over one area of responsibility from Petra Heinlein, a longstanding member of the Management Board, who will hand over responsibility for operations in North America while remaining responsible for the other international GfK regions. In addition to her regional responsibilities, Petra Heinlein is responsible for Consumer, Financial and Media and Communications within the Custom Research division. Debra A. Pruent has responsibility for Business and Technology and Automotive
within the division.

Debra A. Pruent has many years of experience in market research. Prior to her appointment to the Management Board of GfK AG, she was Chief Operations Officer of GfK Custom Research North America in New York. Previously, she was the Chief Executive Officer of US company NOP World Automotive, which joined the GfK Group in 2005 as part of the acquisition of NOP World. During her professional career, Debra A. Pruent has built up a strong track record, in particular in marketing and consultancy within automotive market research, both on the client and the research institute side. After ten years with General Motors, Debra A. Pruent joined automotive market researchers Allison-Fisher International in 1991. Debra A. Pruent studied mathematics, information technology and applied statistics at the Wayne State University in Detroit and at Oakland University,
USA, where she also lectured at the Department of Mathematics.