Brian J. West Named Chief Financial Officer of The Nielsen Company

New York and Haarlem, the Netherlands – Brian J. West, most recently Chief Financial Officer – GE Aviation, Infrastructure, has been appointed Chief Financial Officer of The Nielsen Company. The announcement was made today by David L. Calhoun, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nielsen, to whom West will report.

West joins Nielsen, formerly VNU, after more than 16 years in senior financial management positions within the global GE organization.

West succeeds Rob Ruijter who will return to the Netherlands after leading the company through some of the most extraordinary transitions in its history. He will remain with The Nielsen Company as Executive Advisor to the Supervisory Board and a member of the Executive Board. Ruijter will focus on the company’s compliance with U.S. securities laws, and will continue to help the company establish its restructured presence in The Netherlands.

"Brian joins Nielsen at a time of significant opportunity and challenge as we transition into a single, integrated company with consolidated global business services and functions that will benefit our clients," said Calhoun. "Brian’s leadership and drive are outstanding, and I know he is up to the challenge of building a world-class finance organization for our company."

West is a veteran of the GE financial management program where he has received accolades throughout his career.

Having interned at GE while in college, West was recruited into GE Plastics as part of the Financial Management Program (FMP). Upon graduating from the FMP program, he was asked to relocate to Antwerp, Belgium, to help establish GE’s first shared services operations in Europe.

West then served in a number of finance roles with increasing responsibility in the company, including CFO of NBC’s TV Stations Division, CFO of GE Engine Services, and most recently, CFO for GE Aviation, a $12 billion global business.

West received his M.B.A. from Columbia University. He is a 1991 graduate from Siena College, Magna Cum Laude, with a degree in finance.

About The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen) media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), trade shows and the newspaper sector (Scarborough Research). The privately held company has more than 42,000 employees and is active in more than 100 countries with headquarters in Haarlem, The Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information about the company, please visit www.nielsen.com.