• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, November 7, 2013

David Calhoun, who has been described as “Nielsen’s $78 Million CEO” for the value of his personal compensation package, is stepping down from that role and will become executive chairman of the Nielsen board. Nielsen veteran Dwight (“Mitch”) Barns will succeed him.

“I will continue to remain invested in Mitch’s success in my new role,” Calhoun said in a statement announcing Barn’s succession.

A 2010 Money/CNN analysis of Calhoun’s compensation deal for running Nielsen estimated he could earn $78,213,291, based on his salary, bonuses and stock options.

Barns, who joined Nielsen in 1997, most recently served as president-global client service, overseeing $5.5 billion in revenue and leading the efforts of Nielsen’s Watch and Buy client service teams worldwide. He previously served as president of Nielsen’s U.S. television ratings business.