Sims-Williams (pictured) will lead Nielsen’s D&I strategy and teams for both the Media and Connect sides of the business, through Nielsen’s transition into two independent, publicly traded companies. She will join the company’s executive leadership team and report to Nielsen’s chief executive officer, David Kenny.

Prior to joining Nielsen, Sims-Williams was chief diversity officer at Publicis Groupe and has extensive experience in diverse leadership development, retention programming, analytics and effectiveness, supplier diversity, multicultural talent acquisition, and D&I corporate initiatives.

Kenny said: "Fostering a culture that is diverse and inclusive, and that is reflected in our products and offering, is the guiding force and a significant differentiator for our company. That’s why we're excited to have Sandra, a transformational leader with 30 years of experience linking diversity and inclusion strategies with corporate initiatives that drive diversity and inclusion cross-functionally, join our team."

Sims-Williams added: "I am proud to be joining the Nielsen team and continuing to leverage diversity and inclusion as key elements for growth and leadership. I look forward to working with, and supporting, Nielsen’s talented teams as we enter the next chapter of the company’s transformation into two independent, publicly-traded companies."