• by Joe Mandese , January 7, 2005

In a surprise move, Michael Connors is stepping down as chairman of VNU's Media Measurement and Information group, the unit that oversees Nielsen Media Research. The departure comes just as parent VNU is moving its headquarters from Haarlem, Netherlands to Nielsen's offices in New York, and at a time when Nielsen is enmeshed in a wide variety of new ventures, expansion projects and critical overhauls of many of its research systems.

VNU said Connors was leaving to become CEO of a "publicly traded company," but did not disclose which one, though the position does not appear to be in conflict with VNU or Nielsen. Connors will continue to serve on the board of directors of NetRatings, which VNU owns a 63 percent stake in, as well as the board of a soon-to-be-formed international joint venture between AGB and Nielsen Media Research.

VNU said it would announce a successor to Connors "shortly," but that Connors would remain on VNU's executive board until April 1 and would continue as chairman-CEO of the MMI group until June 30. One likely internal candidate is Susan Whiting, CEO of Nielsen Media Research.

Connors joined VNU in 2001 when it acquired market researcher ACNielsen where he was vice chairman and he played a key role on the re-integration of ACNielsen, which previously had been a sister company that was split off from Nielsen Media Research in sale by a previous parent company.