Re:think 2010 Platinum Profile

The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and related assets. The privately held company is active in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA. For more information, please visit www.nielsen.com.

Paul J. Donato

Executive Vice President and Chief Research Officer, The Nielsen Company

His responsibilities include integrating all research functions within The Nielsen Company, overseeing the development and evaluation of all research, and serving as Nielsen’s research liaison to clients and industry associations.  Partnering with the product leaders and client service leaders of The Nielsen Company, Paul is primarily responsible for exploring new ways to measure media audiences and consumer behavior in the changing, converging media environment.  During his career, Paul has launched several global research products and is now responsible for the development of a global network of Nielsen Measurement Scientists.

Paul joined the company as Senior Vice President and Chief Research Officer of Nielsen Media Research in 2000.  Prior to joining Nielsen, Paul served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Kantar Media Research beginning in 1998.  From 1993 to 1998, he was Senior Vice President in charge of media at Audits & Surveys Worldwide.  Before that, he served as President of the Syndicated Group of Simmons Market Research Bureau for four years and held positions in research at RD Percy & Co. and Arbitron Ratings Company.  Paul has also served as a consultant to McGraw-Hill and Whittle Communications.  His areas of expertise include research development for television, print and the Internet. 

Paul has served on the boards of several television ratings services in Latin America and globally. He is  a past Chairman of the U.S. Advertising Research Foundation (ARF).  He is also the Director for Research, on the North American Board of AfriAfya, a Kenyan-based community health agency. 

Paul received a BA in Psychology and Sociology from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook, and an MA in Applied Sociology from SUNY. 

Steve Hasker

President, Media Product Leadership and Advertiser Solutions, The Nielsen Company

Steve Hasker is President, Media Product Leadership and Advertiser Solutions for The Nielsen Company. He is responsible for Nielsen’s Online, Mobile, IAG, and Advertising Solutions businesses, as well as the development of Nielsen’s three screen audience measurement including Mobile, Online, and TV.   

Steve joined Nielsen from McKinsey & Company, where he served as a partner in McKinsey’s Global Media, Entertainment and Information practice. In this role, Steve was responsible for serving clients in a variety of media and mobile telecom sectors particularly on issues of strategy, growth and innovation for leading companies in television, syndicated information, filmed entertainment, sports and online advertising. He joined McKinsey in 1998 and spent three years on the Partner Election Committee at the Firm.  Prior, Steve spent five years in several financial roles in the US, Russia, and Australia.   

Steve lectures regularly at Columbia University and his research into the influence of social networks on consumer behavior in media has been published in the Harvard Business Review. His writings on digital and online business models and marketing have been featured in the McKinsey Quarterly. Also, Steve is Vice Chairman of the International Radio and Television Society, a Board member of Junior Achievement New York, and member of the Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants. 

Steve has an MBA and a Masters in International Affairs both with honors from Columbia University and an undergraduate economics degree from the University of Melbourne.