• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, August 15, 2017

Paul Donato, a long-time media researcher who most recently was Chief Research Officer of Nielsen, has been named Chief Research Officer of the Advertising Research Foundation.

The appointment, which is effective Oct. 1, was made by recently named ARF CEO Scott McDonald, to whom Donato reports.

The ARF's CRO role has been vacant since 2014, but previously has been held by advertising research luminaries such as Joe Plummer and Don Gloeckler.

Donato, who left Nielsen in May after 16 years with the media and marketing research giant, had been operating his own company Jatapond LLC, prior to joining the ARF.