Nielsen Business Media Names Farrar President

In the US, Nielsen veteran Greg Farrar has become President of Nielsen Business Media. He has worked for the company for more than 20 years.

He has been promoted from his role as COO, and has been leading the division since former CEO Robert Krakoff died in March.

Farrar joined the unit a year ago with responsibility for its daily management, international operations, licensing and multi-brand conferences. His previous roles with The Nielsen Company (formerly VNU) have included President of the VNU Expositions group and Senior VP Business Development for VNU Business Media.

Chairman and CEO David Calhoun said that Farrar has played an integral role in the company's media and trade show acquisitions, including its acquisition of $200m media firm Miller Freeman USA.

'Greg is a valued member of our leadership team and has been integral to the growth of Business Media over the last two decades,' said Calhoun. 'With his solid track record and proven ability to lead strong businesses and teams, I am confident that Greg will continue to build on this record of success.'

Farrar's first role was in 1986 with the Capitol Convention and Exhibit Company, where he remained until its sale to Bill Communications, when he was appointed VP of the BillCom Exposition and Conference Group. He was later promoted to VP Corporate Services where he was centrally involved in the acquisition of more than 45 print and face-to-face media properties.

Before beginning his business media career, Farrar served as an Infantry Officer in the US Marine Corps.

Earlier this week, Nielsen's third quarter revenues rose 11% to $1.19m from the same period in 2006, while operating income was down to £77m from a pro forma figure of $90m which was attributed to restructuring costs. Its web site is www.nielsen.com.