Anderson takes over immediately and has extensive experience as CFO of multinational public companies. Among these roles he was senior vice-president and CFO of Honeywell between 2003 and 2014 and has also worked at ITT Industries, RJR Nabisco and Kraft.

At Nielsen, Anderson will oversee all financial functions and will play an active role in communications with shareholders and analysts.

In a statement, Nielsen said Jackson, who has been in the role since 2014, had resigned to pursue an opportunity outside of the company.

James Attwood, executive chairman of Nielsen, said: "We are extremely pleased to have Dave join us, especially during this important time for the company. Dave’s deep financial expertise and strategic skills will enable him to make a strong and immediate contribution to Nielsen."

The change of CFO at Nielsen follows the news that its CEO Mitch Barns will retire at the end of the year.

Nielsen’s latest financials were disappointing – on the day of the announcement 27% of its share value was lost – and it said it was reviewing is Buy segment which saw revenue drop 4% in Q2 2018.