Nielsen appoints new Greater China president

Yan replaces Mitch Barns, who recently returned to New York as president of US media within the company. Prior to joining Nielsen, Yan served as vice-president of legal and government affairs for Qualcomm in China, having taken on the role early last year.

Yan will report to Nielsen chief executive David Calhoun. In a statement, Calhoun said Yan’s background, which covers the areas of sales, business development, strategic investment and government affairs, would “add to the momentum” of Nielsen’s efforts in the China market.

In addition to Qualcomm, Yan has held senior positions at AT&T, Microsoft and Oracle. He is also a licenced attorney in Pennsylvania.

Yan said has aim in the new role would be to assist multinational and domestic clients in building strong local and global presences.