Gerald Hobbs

Gerald S. Hobbs, Lead Director, is a Managing Director and Operating Partner at Boston Ventures, a leading private-equity firm. Previously, he was the Chairman and CEO of VNU, Inc. (now The Nielsen Company), a leading business, marketing and media information services company. Under Hobbs, VNU rapidly expanded into a multi-billion dollar enterprise by acquiring more than 60 media and information services companies over ten years. Hobbs began his career with Procter & Gamble before joining Billboard Publications, Inc. (later BPI) in 1969. In 1984, he led a management buyout of BPI, and later sold the business to Affiliated Publications, publisher of the Boston Globe, but remained as CEO, leading the business through a period of rapid expansion. In 1991, Hobbs and a partnership group purchased a majority interest in BPI, and in 1994 he presided over the sale of BPI to VNU. Hobbs is past Chairman and Director of American Business Media and the Advertising Council, Inc. He is currently a Director of BNA, Inc. and The Nielsen Company.