David Rawlinson to Become CEO
of Nielsen Global Connect
Linda Zukauckas Is Named
Chief Financial Officer For The Company
NEW YORK, Jan. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Nielsen
Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) announced two significant hires that
support Nielsen's plan to create two separate publicly traded
companies later in the year. David
Rawlinson, President of the Global Online Business at
Grainger, will become the Chief Executive Officer of Nielsen's
Global Connect business. Linda
Zukauckas will join the company as Chief Financial Officer.
Both will join effective February 3,
2020.
David Rawlinson joins from
Grainger (NYSE: GWW), which is the leading broad line supplier of
maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products serving businesses
and institutions. He has significant experience running a digital
business-to-business company, as well as a strong international
background and a track record of driving growth. He will become the
CEO of the newly created public company—currently referred to as
Nielsen Global Connect—at the time of the separation. Rawlinson is
also currently a member of Nielsen's Board of Directors.
Linda Zukauckas has been with
American Express (NYSE: AXP) since 2011, most recently serving as
the Executive Vice President and Deputy Chief Financial Officer. At
the time of the separation, Linda will remain as Chief Financial
Officer of Nielsen's Global Media business.
"Both David and Linda bring a wealth of relevant and valuable
experience to Nielsen. Both will have a great deal of impact on the
current company and will have significant roles in the new
companies moving forward. We are very excited that they have agreed
to join us at this dynamic time for Nielsen," said David Kenny, Chief Executive Officer for
Nielsen.
"In my time on the Board of Directors, I've been struck by
Nielsen Global Connect's technology, the focus on making client
decision-making easier and the team's unwavering commitment to
integrity. Nielsen Global Connect has made tremendous progress in
strengthening its operations and competitive position, and I
believe that we can build upon this and further enhance our
leadership position. I'm honored to become Chief Executive Officer
during this important time and look forward to helping retailers
and the consumer goods industry evolve into a more digital and more
dynamic future," said Rawlinson.
"I'm happy to join a company that is so critical to ensuring
effective market dynamics in the global media and FMCG spaces. The
recent clarity regarding Nielsen's path forward influenced my
decision to join the company at this pivotal moment. Nielsen's
improved operating performance is a testament to leadership's focus
on delivering results while continuing to invest in products that
provide valuable insights to Nielsen clients. I'm thrilled to join
at this exciting time," said Zukauckas.
Rawlinson is currently the President of the Global Online
Business at W.W. Grainger, Inc. ("Grainger"), a position he has
held since November 2015. Since
taking this position, this digitally-focused, global
business-to-business unit has grown double digits every year and
has won multiple national awards in the US for workplace culture.
He joined Grainger in July of 2012 and previously served as the
Vice President of Operations for the Global Online Business, and
prior to that, Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Corporate
Secretary of Grainger. Rawlinson also serves on the Board of
Directors of MonotaRO Co., Ltd., a position he has held since
March 2015. Prior to Grainger,
Rawlinson worked for ITT Corp. (later "ITT Exelis" as a result of a
spin-off), from November 2009 until
July 2012. He was Vice President,
General Counsel and Director of Corporate Responsibility of the
Electronic Systems division. In addition, Rawlinson served as a
White House Fellow and in appointed positions for the George W.
Bush and Obama Administrations. In the Bush Administration,
Rawlinson was a leader of the outgoing transition. In the Obama
Administration, he served as Senior Advisor for Economic Policy at
the White House National Economic Council. He holds a Bachelor of
Arts degree from The Citadel, a Juris
Doctor degree from the University of South
Carolina, and a Masters in Business Administration degree
from Harvard Business School.
Zukauckas brings deep finance and leadership experience to the
CFO role. She most recently served as Executive Vice
President and Deputy Chief Financial Officer at American Express.
She also held roles at American Express as the Chief Accounting
Officer and Global Controller and served on the Board of Directors
of American Express Global Business Travel, a 50/50 JV, for five
years. Prior to American Express, Zukauckas held various senior
leadership roles at Ally Financial (formerly GMAC Inc). She serves
on the board of MTS Systems Corporation, where she is on the Audit
and the Governance & Nominating committees. She holds a
Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Texas Tech University.
About Nielsen
Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a
global measurement and data analytics company that provides the
most complete and trusted view available of consumers and markets
worldwide. Nielsen is divided into two business units. Nielsen
Global Media, the arbiter of truth for media markets, provides
media and advertising industries with unbiased and reliable metrics
that create a shared understanding of the industry required for
markets to function. Nielsen Global Connect provides consumer
packaged goods manufacturers and retailers with accurate,
actionable information and insights and a complete picture of the
complex and changing marketplace that companies need to innovate
and grow.
Our approach marries proprietary Nielsen data with other data
sources to help clients around the world understand what's
happening now, what's happening next, and how to best act on this
knowledge.
An S&P 500 company, Nielsen has operations in over 100
countries, covering more than 90% of the world's population. For
more information, visit www.nielsen.com.
Photo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1076150/Nielsen_Holdings_plc_David_Rawlinson.jpg
Photo
- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1076151/Nielsen_Holdings_plc_Linda_Zukauckas.jpg
Logo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1076155/Nielsen_Holdings_plc_Logo.jpg