VNU Announces New Appointments in Its Marketing Information Group; ACNielsen COO to Head European Business; New Head of Advisory Services Named

Business Wire, July 14, 2004

NEW YORK -- VNU, a leading global information and media company, today announced a series of management changes in its Marketing Information group.

Among the changes, Frank Martell, chief operating officer of ACNielsen, will take on additional responsibility for ACNielsen Europe as president and chief executive officer of that regional business. He will continue to report to Steve Schmidt, president and CEO of ACNielsen.

"Frank Martell is assuming leadership of ACNielsen Europe at a critical juncture in the evolution of this business," said Rob van den Bergh, chairman and chief executive officer of VNU, and head of the company's Marketing Information group. "Our new European data factory began initial operation in mid-June, and we are about to begin the lengthy and complex process of transitioning clients to our new Web-enabled services there. This initiative will bring tremendous new capabilities to the marketplace, and will drive the long-term growth of ACNielsen and our Marketing Information group. Frank brings strong leadership and a proven track record over many years with ACNielsen to his expanded role, and I am confident he will lead a successful transition to our new business model in Europe."

With Martell focusing more of his time on the European business, Schmidt will assume from Martell direct accountability for ACNielsen's Latin America and Asia Pacific regions, along with its global finance function and Project Atlas, a major business improvement program. Martell will retain accountability for ACNielsen's Emerging Markets region, global Customized Research, and global Operations and Information Technology. He will relocate from New York to ACNielsen's European headquarters in Wavre, Belgium.

Changes in Advisory Services Announced

In a separate development, VNU announced that Steve Wilson has been appointed president and chief executive officer of VNU Advisory Services, succeeding Brian Chadbourne, who has elected to take early retirement. Wilson will report directly to VNU Chairman Van den Bergh, and become a member of the VNU Marketing Information Board.

"Brian Chadbourne has led a team that has made great strides in developing our Advisory Services business, including the creation of new integrated services and a new 'One-VNU' client service model," said Van den Bergh. "I am grateful for his contributions, and confident that our experienced leadership team will ensure that this important work continues. Long term, we expect Advisory Services to deliver tremendous value to our clients."

In his new role, Wilson, previously group president, Advisory Services, will be directly accountable for the performance of BASES, Spectra, Claritas and HCI - the four units that are part of VNU Advisory Services - and will assume leadership of VNU's global relationships with Procter & Gamble, Kraft Foods and other clients.

VNU also announced that Joe Willke, president of BASES, will take on an expanded role overseeing the development and implementation of a strategic framework for Advisory Services. Willke will retain responsibility for the group's Modeling & Analytical Services business unit, and will be accountable to Wilson in his expanded role.

About VNU Marketing Information

VNU Marketing Information (VNU MI) is the world's leading provider of information, insights and solutions that help clients improve their marketing and sales performance. Through its business units - ACNielsen and VNU Advisory Services (which includes BASES, Spectra, Claritas and HCI) - VNU MI helps clients measure and analyze their markets, understand consumer behavior, identify growth opportunities and conduct successful targeted-marketing activities. VNU MI serves more than 9,000 clients, including the world's leading manufacturers and retailers of consumer packaged goods, as well as leading companies in technology, telecommunications, financial services, real estate, pharmaceuticals and other major sectors of the economy. The group is part of VNU, a global information and media company active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, The Netherlands, and New York, USA. The company employs 38,000 people and had total revenues of EUR 3.9 billion in 2003. VNU is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam (ASE: VNU) stock exchange. For more information, please visit www.vnu.com.