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Schmidt to Lead Restructuring of VNU's MI Group
VNU has announced a major program to co-ordinate the business units of its Marketing Information (MI) group and centralise marketing, IT and NPD functions. Steven M. Schmidt becomes President and CEO of the group, which includes ACNielsen, BASES, Spectra, Claritas and ACNielsen HCI.
Schmidt was previously a VP of the Group in addition to being President and CEO of ACNielsen, for which he will remain accountable.
Rob van den Bergh, who announced on November 17th that he was stepping down as VNU Chairman and CEO once a successor is found (mrweb.com/drno/news4843.htm ), said the MI Group was being restructured in order to take full advantage of its strong brands and reach. 'The new structure will enable us to take a more co-ordinated approach to serving client needs, accelerate the development of a new generation of high-value business solutions, improve our operating efficiency and enhance our opportunities for long-term growth.'
Under Schmidt, whose appointment is effective January 1, 2006, the group's marketing, new product development and information technology will be centralized, allowing greater co-ordination in development and improved efficiency. In addition, all MI business units 'will collaborate at the regional level to develop fully integrated client service plans that encompass all of the group's services'.
Schmidt says the changes will 'put us in a better position to address our clients' most pressing needs through a valuable suite of services that combines all the advantages of our proprietary consumer and market information, our unique global reach and our advanced analytical, consulting and integrated business solutions'.
VNU's group home page is at www.vnu.com.
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