Former CEO Calhoun to Leave Nielsen Board

Nielsen has announced the impending departure from its board of Directors of former CEO David L. Calhoun.

Calhoun (pictured), who spent almost eight years as Nielsen's Chief Executive, notified the company this month that he will not stand for re-election at the next annual meeting of shareholders, expected in May this year.

Rob van den Bergh, CEO of what was then known as VNU, announced in November 2005 he was stepping down from the role, following an abortive attempt to take over pharma data giant IMS Health. Calhoun took over the following year, and the company soon announced its support for an acquisition by the private equity group Valcon, which took place in May 2006. VNU subsequently changed its name to 'The Nielsen Company', reflecting the global renown of its main brand.

Under Calhoun's leadership Nielsen bolstered its digital credentials with the acquisition of firms including NetRatings and BuzzMetrics, and in June 2010 it announced it would return to public ownership with an IPO. Later in his term, the company's buys included NeuroFocus, and radio ratings leader Arbitron, which is now known as Nielsen Audio.

Nielsen announced in November 2013 that Calhoun would be replaced as CEO with the promotion of Mitch Barns, from January 1st 2014, while Calhoun would move to the role of Executive Chairman. He also took a leadership role in The Blackstone Group, one of the six private equity firms making up Valcon.

Calhoun is currently a member of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee of the Nielsen Board, and will continue to serve on it until the Annual Meeting. He may also continue to exercise previously vested stock options until their expiry.

Board member Vivek Y. Ranadivé, currently a member of the Compensation Committee, has also announced that he will not stand for re-election. The stock exchange note from Nielsen states that neither decision is the result of 'any disagreement with the company'.

Calhoun is a Director of Boeing and Caterpillar.

A timeline of key events in the history of Nielsen can be found at http://sites.nielsen.com/90years .