One of my most important objectives in building Comscore has been to ensure that the company has the talent and bench strength to thrive without me at the helm. I am proud to announce that we have reached that milestone as a part of a carefully planned, board sanctioned, CEO transition process that started over two years ago.
Effective March 1, I am handing over the CEO responsibilities to Serge Matta and I will be assuming the role of Executive Chairman. Gian Fulgoni, with his customary passion, will continue being fully engaged with the company. Gian will remain on our board, assuming the title of Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus.
In the last two years, Serge, working closely with Cameron Meierhoefer, Chris Lin, Mike Brown and our commercial leaders, has demonstrated his ability to lead the company by progressively taking on broader responsibilities for commercial operations and marketing, followed by a deeper involvement and leadership in the strategic and operational decision making process. I strongly believe that this change will bring Comscore even more success than we’ve already achieved.
Serge started his Comscore career shortly after the company was founded as a product manager, and has always maintained a strong understanding of our products and technology. He has been successful in every assignment we have given him and over the past several years has played a crucial leadership role in driving Comscore’s market success.
Serge has a magic touch with clients and understands what client-facing people need to be successful with their customers. He is naturally skilled at understanding and interpreting market trends – and continuously uses this to drive Comscore’s industry leadership. He has a proven ability to get things done by working across the organization, appreciating the role all teams have in our success. Serge played an instrumental role in landing the Google deal we announced yesterday, a deal which has the potential to be a game changer for Comscore and our industry.
This change also allows me to focus more energy on the part of my job that I have always loved: strategy and product innovation. Truth be told, I have never thought I would spend almost seven years as a CEO of a public company. I feel fortunate to be able to put the company in good hands, while also being able to bring renewed energy to important tasks at which I enjoy and excel.
I am proud that we have built a company full of talent that is well prepared to handle change and poised to enter a new phase of growth and success. I am also thankful to Gian for his willingness to continue his 24/7 tireless efforts to promote the company and to be a leading industry voice on our behalf.
I want to take the opportunity to thank the entire Comscore staff for helping us build the company to its current success, prominence, and future potential. This has and always will be a team effort; I am proud to continue to be part of it!