Barns leads Nielsen Greater China

Shanghai - The Nielsen Company has appointed Mitch Barns in a newly created position as President of Nielsen Greater China charged to oversee the company's operations across Mainland China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan.

He will relocate from the US to be based in Shanghai, reporting directly to David Calhoun, chairman and CEO of The Nielsen Company.

"Mitch is a truly global executive, having lead initiatives for Nielsen in Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America," Calhoun said in a statement.

"As a result, he brings both a broad perspective and a deep understanding of China's role in the world economy, and will work closely with other senior leaders in the region to enhance Nielsen's position in this promising market".

His new role will also include developing and integrating the company's media services as well as introduce new online and mobile services to tap on China's growing broadband and wireless markets.

Barns joined Nielsen in 1997 and was global president of BASES and analytic consulting before becoming global president of Nielsen Homescan, Spectra and Loyalty practices. He worked at Procter & Gamble prior to Nielsen where he oversaw ad research and new product forecasting.