Nielsen IQ

“We are firmly committed to hiring, retaining and promoting women at NielsenIQ. We believe that the outcome is not only greater representation of women at senior levels in our organization — and more diverse voices reflecting the consumers we measure — but also better business outcomes for us and for our clients.”

Judith Kuiper

Commercial Leader Benelux & Nordics, Nielsen IQ

Sponsor Spotlight with Nielsen, LEAD Network Foundation Partner

Can you tell us a bit about your organization and your role?

Nielsen is a global measurement and data analytics company that provides the most complete and trusted view available to consumers and markets worldwide. With a focus on measuring what ALL consumers watch, listen to and buy, clients expect from Nielsen to provide not only quality data but valuable insights into consumer behaviours. 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.

At Nielsen, I’m working globally with the CPG retail and manufacturing industry as well as with the Media industry. I’m responsible for helping clients measure outcomes and drive business improvements through a deeper understanding of what consumers buy and watch. I held a number of leadership roles and lived in several countries. I also sit on the board of administrators for the Nielsen/Mediametry Digital Ad Ratings joint venture in France/Europe. And, very important to me, I’m the Global Executive Sponsor of the Women in Nielsen (WIN) Employee Resource Group.

An interview with

Marie Lalleman
EVP Managing Director
Global Client Strategic Lead,
Nielsen

Why is diversity, and specifically the advancement of women, so important to your organization?

At Nielsen, we understand that diversity and inclusion is a global business imperative. It is crucial that our organization’s diversity reflects the markets that we measure and represent to our clients through Nielsen services. Additionally, breaking down barriers to equality and inclusion for women and girls, positively impacts families, communities and the global economy. Our WIN (Women in Nielsen) employee resource group (ERGs) is at the centre of our internal women’s initiatives —focusing on mentorship, leadership and career development and personal wellbeing. We have achieved a milestone in driving this agenda through the consistent efforts of a team of leaders across locations and departments. Thanks to their leadership and the active participation of WIN members, they have created Women In Nielsen chapters in more than 50 countries on all continents. These leaders are being highly focused on making Nielsen a preferred employer for our diverse colleagues.

Which diversity initiatives do you have in your organization?

Diversity and inclusion is a global business imperative for Nielsen. We utilize a structured approach focused on leadership accountability, leveraging a Nielsen diversity council, partnering with experts from varied professions to form an external diversity council, setting measurements around supplier diversity goals and empowering internal volunteer employee resource groups (AAL – Asian Americans Link, ADEPT – Abled and Disabled Employees Partnering Together, HOLA -Hispanic Organization of Leaders in Action, PRIDE -Promote Respect in Diverse Environments, SABLE – Sustaining Active Black Leadership and Empowerment, SERV – Support and Employee Resources for Veterans, WIN – Women in Nielsen, N-GEN – Nielsen Generation). This holistic approach to diversity and inclusion allows us to use internal and external tools to benchmark, challenge and accelerate our efforts to build and maintain an inclusive culture.

What role does the LEAD Network play in reaching your organization’s diversity goals?

Nielsen and the LEAD Network share a commitment to helping more women advance to leadership positions — a critical element of an inclusive, equitable workplace. Our partnership with the LEAD Network allows us to share and learn best practices via learning programs and webinars, and research and resources, including the LEAD Network committees and chapters. As a new member of LEAD, we are actively structuring our concrete engagement to make an impact: Our Nielsen associates will participate in LEAD Network events, work in LEAD Network committees and get experience and exposure to women’s leadership and workplace transformation.

What would you like your employees to take away from the LEAD Network?

We want ALL our employees to learn from the best of our industry on how to make a stronger impact for them but also for the company. We are convinced that they can act as “change agents”, bringing back their learnings from LEAD members and share their experiences and best practices with their colleagues. We also believe they will get a stronger exposure in the company as they act and implement new ideas to “Press for Progress”. With that, we will leverage the LEAD Network not only to our female but also male associates, our allies which will bring them even closer to gender diversity. Support from our male colleagues is key to “Press for Progress” and we need to learn from LEAD Network how to be always inclusive in our approach to gender diversity – together we are stronger to encourage and foster even more the Nielsen Experience philosophy of work, where you can “Be Yourself, Make a Difference and Grow With Us”.