Nielsen CEO pledges to increase representation of women in senior leadership positions

Amsterdam — March 8, 2019 — Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN) CEO David Kenny committed to advancing the careers of women at Nielsen around the world by signing on to the LEAD (Leading Executives Advancing Diversity) Network CEO Pledge. The pledge emphasizes Nielsen’s commitment to increase women in senior leadership roles globally. Kenny signed the pledge in concurrence with International Women’s Day, which was also celebrated by thousands of Nielsen associates around the world.

The company plans to adhere to the pledge by implementing a gender parity and inclusion plan includes the following specific actions:

• Engaging in courageous conversations about ways to truly create inclusive cultures where everyone can thrive.
• Educating employees about the negative impact of bias on retention, development and advancement of women.
• Continuing to coach and mentor female & diverse employees, while also increasing senior leader sponsorship of these associates.
• Assessing current recruiting strategies and ensuring there are intentional efforts to hire, promote and pay equitably female & diverse employees.
• Continuing to mandate a diverse slate hiring process committed to always selecting the best talent, and requiring 100% of those considered to be diverse.
• Articulating goals, using data to track progress and holding leaders accountable for actions.
• Leveraging employee resource groups for women to gain exposure and visibility through broader networks.

“Our entire organization is united in the pursuit of bigger, bolder outcomes,” said Kenny. “The pledge is a firm commitment that we will hire, retain and promote women. When we fulfill that commitment, the outcome is not just greater representation of women in our organization; it also will lead to better business results for us and for our clients.”

The European chapter of the Women in Nielsen (WIN) employee resource group leads Nielsen’s engagement with LEAD Network. Several of Nielsen’s global leaders have engaged directly with LEAD by conducting webinars, appearing in their newsletters and speaking at their conferences. Many CEOs of LEAD Network member companies have signed the pledge. Nielsen is a founding partner of LEAD Network, and will continue to dialogue with the other member organizations to increase opportunities and parity for women throughout the world.

“The power of our organization is our people,” said Nancy Phillips, Chief Human Resources Officer for Nielsen. “David’s signature on the LEAD Network pledge sends a visible message that we’re committed and serious about accelerating gender parity and inclusion. This is important for many reasons, but in my mind, one very important reason is that with gender parity, we’ll have the critical skills and perspectives that women bring to help us effectively address current and future business challenges.”

Nielsen’s efforts to increase the representation of women in senior leadership will build upon existing gender inclusion policies and practices that were recently recognized on the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index and —  for the third year in a row — by the Working Mother Institute and AVTAR, on  their annual list of the best companies for women in India. The pledge exemplifies  Nielsen’s global inclusion policies , which have been recognized by numerous organizations including the Human Rights Campaign in the U.S. and Mexico.