Calhoun is presently vice-president of the General Electric Company. He succeeds Rob Ruijter, who has been interim CEO since June 13. Ruijter will remain at the company as chief financial officer.
At General Electric, Calhoun was responsible for its aviation, energy, oil and gas, transportation and water businesses. He had been with the conglomerate for 27 years.
Calhoun said: "With growing demand for information and insights that help businesses understand consumers and markets in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world, VNU's prospects have never been stronger. I look forward to working with the worldwide VNU organisation to develop its next-generation business solutions and to create the next chapter of VNU's success."
VNU owns market research firm ACNielsen and the media information company Nielsen Media Research. Its magazines include Billboard, Computing and the Hollywood Reporter.
It is headquartered in Haarlem in the Netherlands and New York, with operations in more than 100 companies. Until earlier this year, it was a publicly listed company but it is now privately owned after a leveraged buyout by investors including investors that includes AlpInvest Partners, the Blackstone Group, the Carlyle Group, Hellman & Friedman, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, and Thomas H Lee Partners.
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