Nielsen promotes Sandra Sims-Williams to Chief Diversity Officer

Global data and analytics firm Nielsen has announced the promotion of Sandra Sims-Williams to Chief Diversity Officer (CDO).

She will take over from CEO David Kenny, who has held the CDO title in addition to the CEO role, since February 2019. Sims-Williams joined Nielsen in January 2020, as reported.

She will continue to lead Nielsen’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) team; and work to develop a more inclusive culture for the company and increase diverse representation. As CDO, Sims-Williams will continue to report to Kenny; and remains part of Nielsen’s executive leadership team. 

ACCELERATING DIVERSITY & INCLUSION PROGRESS

“I am thrilled to lead the next step in Nielsen’s DE&I journey. To our people we are an employer of choice, to our clients and community we are a trusted and valued partner purposefully focused on DE&I,” stated Sims-Williams. “I look forward to continue building on our progress and delivering on our commitment to be a truly diverse and inclusive company.” 

“Diversity, equity and inclusion is the heart and soul of Nielsen’s business. As we continue to evolve our company, Sandra’s leadership, wisdom and experience as our new CDO will accelerate our progress,” commented Kenny. “Nielsen’s entire executive team, Board and I remain highly focused on improving DE&I across Nielsen.”

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION MILESTONES

In the past year, Nielsen has hit some major DE&I milestones. They include:

• A diverse executive committee: four out of nine members are female, three out of eight leaders are ethnically diverse. 
• Implemented a global non-discrimination policy that ensures equal opportunity for LGBTQ+ associates in allNielsen markets. We have begun offering health benefits for same sex partners in several countries. 
• Along with 140+ US trade organisations and employers, signed and submitted a friend of the court brief to the US Supreme Court to help preserve DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). 
• Launched Gracenote Inclusion Analytics, a new solution providing unprecedented visibility into the gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation of talent appearing in TV programming and the audiences watching it. 
• Launched our new Business Resource Groups structure with 11 employee-led groups. 
• Publicly called for the exclusion of a citizenship question on the 2020 census, which would have discouraged minority participation. 
• Launched a Black-owned small business resource site to support those facing difficulties in the face of the pandemic and discrimination.