- Sandra Sims-Williams is joining Nielsen as the senior vice president of diversity and inclusion
Sandra Sims-Williams is stepping down from the Chief Diversity Officer position at Publicis Groupe to pursue another opportunity. Specifically, Sims-Williams is becoming the senior vice president of diversity and inclusion for Nielsen. And she will be starting in the new role in January.
“Diversity & Inclusion are essential to everything we do at Nielsen. Fostering a culture that is diverse and inclusive, and that is reflected in our products and offering, is the guiding force and a significant differentiator for our company,” said Nielsen CEO David Kenny. “That’s why we’re excited to have Sandra, a transformational leader with 30 years of experience linking diversity and inclusion strategies with corporate initiatives that drive diversity and inclusion cross-functionally, join our team, as we continue driving forward with our systemic diversity and inclusion initiatives.”
Last month, Nielsen said it was spinning off its Global Connect business and create the two companies — Global Media and Global Connect.
“I am proud to be joining the Nielsen team and continuing to leverage diversity and inclusion as key elements for growth and leadership,” added Sims-Williams. “I look forward to working with and supporting Nielsen’s talented teams as we enter the next chapter of the company’s transformation into two independent, publicly-traded companies.”
Sims-Williams is credited with heading up “diverse leadership development, retention programming, analytics and effectiveness, supplier diversity, multicultural talent acquisition and corporate initiatives that drive diversity and inclusion cross-functionally” while working at Publicis. And Sims-Williams was also a member of the 4A’s Diversity Steering Committee and she served on the boards of New York Women in Communication, Advertising Club of New York, and ColorComm.
A Publicis spokesperson told Ad Age that the company thanks Sims-Williams for her years of contribution and commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion, a “true cornerstone of Publicis Groupe’s Viva La Difference, which serves as both our heritage and guidepost for the future as we continue to advance this important work.” Publicis is in the process of finding a successor.
