Industry Veteran Mitch Barns to Be Nielsen's Next Chief Executive Officer

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Nielsen Holdings N.V. NLSN, a leading global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy, today announced that effective January 1, 2014, Dwight M. (“Mitch”) Barns will succeed David L. Calhoun as Chief Executive Officer, reporting to the Board of Directors. Barns is a 28-year marketing veteran who has spent the last 16 years at Nielsen building broad experience leading the Company's core businesses globally, regionally and in the U.S. Calhoun will become Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, at which time Nielsen's current Chairman of the Board, James M. Kilts, will step down as Chairman, but will remain a Board Member.

“Nielsen is successfully implementing its global strategy, and the time is right to name the next leader to take the company to its next phase of growth,” said Calhoun. “Mitch's strong track record at the helm of a number of key Nielsen business units around the world – combined with his vision and commitment to our strategic plan – puts the company on solid footing for continued global expansion and value creation,” he added. “I will continue to remain invested in Mitch's success in my new role.”

"I am honored by this opportunity to serve Nielsen as its Chief Executive Officer, and I am thankful for the Board's vote of confidence," said Barns. “Throughout my 16 years at this company, I've been privileged to work side-by-side with talented leaders and associates in Nielsen businesses across the world. I look forward to continuing our work together to anticipate client needs with ongoing innovation and expand our footprint in developing markets, while consistently delivering growth and enhancing shareholder value," he added.

Barns is a long-time marketing expert who joined Nielsen in 1997. He is currently President, Global Client Service, overseeing $5.5 billion in revenue and leading the efforts of Nielsen's Watch and Buy client service teams worldwide. Earlier, Barns served as President of Nielsen's U.S. television ratings business, where he oversaw the transformation of the unit's client service model and architected the expansion and enhancement of its local ratings service. He also served as President, Greater China – where he led the transition to a fast-growing, stand-alone region – as well as global President of Nielsen's BASES and Analytic Consulting businesses, which have become the core of the company's growing insights services. Barns began his career at Procter & Gamble, where he spent 12 years in marketing research and brand management. He holds a B.S. in business administration from Miami University and completed the Stanford Executive Program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Calhoun has served as Nielsen's Chief Executive Officer since joining the Company in August 2006, following a 26-year career with GE. He oversaw the transformation of Nielsen from a private company to a publicly traded corporation listed on the S&P 500. Calhoun's leadership was marked by a new vision, new values and a big commitment to develop Nielsen as an Academy Company. Calhoun has overseen a number of strategic acquisitions that increased Nielsen's capabilities and market share, including the recent acquisition of Arbitron. In his new capacity as Executive Chairman of the Board, Calhoun will remain actively engaged in the business, providing counsel to Barns and other executives into 2015. Calhoun has assured the Board that any new endeavor he takes on will accommodate this commitment. He will remain a substantial owner of Nielsen equity purchased and earned by him while CEO.

Conference Call Information

Nielsen will host a live conference call to discuss this announcement today, November 6, 2013 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. We encourage interested parties to pre-register for the conference call using the following link. Callers who pre-register will be given a unique PIN to gain immediate access to the call and bypass the live operator. Participants may pre-register at any time, including up to and after the call start time.

To pre-register, go to http://dpregister.com/10036709. You may also reach the pre-registration site by clicking on the link under “Featured Events” on our website at http://nielsen.com/investors.

Participants who would like to join the conference call, but have not pre-registered, can access the call by dialing +1-888-317-6016. Callers outside the U.S. can dial +1-412-317-6016. The pass code for the call is "Nielsen.”

A replay of the event will be available on Nielsen's Investor Relations website, http://nielsen.com/investors, from 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, November 6, 2013 until 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, December 8, 2013. The replay can be accessed from within the United States by dialing +1-877-344-7529. Other callers can access the replay at +1-412-317-0088. The replay pass code is 10036709.

About Nielsen

Nielsen Holdings N.V. NLSN is a global information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence and mobile measurement. Nielsen has a presence in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA and Diemen, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer:

This news release includes information that could constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by words such as ‘will', ‘expect', ‘should', ‘could', ‘shall' and similar expressions. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results and events could differ materially from what presently is expected. Factors leading thereto may include without limitations general economic conditions, conditions in the markets Nielsen is engaged in, behavior of customers, suppliers and competitors, technological developments, as well as legal and regulatory rules affecting Nielsen's business and specific risk factors discussed in other releases and public filings made by the Company (including the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission). This list of factors is not intended to be exhaustive. Such forward-looking statements only speak as of the date of this press release, and we assume no obligation to update any written or oral forward-looking statement made by us or on our behalf as a result of new information, future events, or other factors.