Nielsen Malaysia names MD to succeed Raphael Pereda

Nielsen Malaysia has appointed Luca De Nard (pictured) as managing director to succeed Raphael Pereda, effective 1 February 2019.Prior to his appointment, De Nard led Nielsen’s business in Romania, during which he drove substantial revenue growth across key verticals including retail measurement services, sales effectiveness and consumer insights. De Nard is knowledgeable about sales effectiveness strategies and is passionate about helping companies achieve business growth through the use of effective shopper marketing, merchandising, pricing and promotion solutions and strategies.He began his career as a research executive at Middle East Market Research Bureau (MEMRB). When MEMRB was acquired by Nielsen 2011, De Nard spent two years in Retail Measurement Services before joining the Eastern European Advanced Analytics Consulting team.In a statement to A+M, Nielsen Malaysia's spokesperson said Pereda has decided to leave the company after 24 years to pursue his personal interests.Vaughan Ryan, managing director of Nielsen’s Southeast Asia cluster, said, “Over the years, De Nard has consistently proven himself to be an ardent client advocate and visionary people leader. We are confident that his highly commercial, strategic and innovative thinking, backed by a proven track record of success in Nielsen’s emerging markets, will greatly add value, not just to our business in Malaysia, but also to our clients and the wider industry."