CEOInterviews.AI
Start App
Try: AI strategy tariffs earnings guidance layoffs interest rates growth

David Kenny

Chairman of the Board, Nielsen (Nielsen Holdings / The Nielsen Company)

Search every verified David Kenny interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. David Kenny, executive chairman of Nielsen, appeared in two podcast and talk-show settings in April and May 2026. In a TEDxBoston talk, Kenny argued that society needs "generally accepted trust principles" for data, analogous to the accounting standards that govern financial reporting, in order for the data-driven economy to function. He said that restoring trust requires "a common set of facts" and described this as a "nerdy" ambition to build a "FASB for all the other data sets beyond the financial ones." In the "Unbossing" podcast, Kenny said that expertise is no longer a differentiator because technology makes expertise widely available, and that "curiosity and resilience" are more valuable. He encouraged leaders to "unlearn any sense" that human judgment is inherently more accurate than machine analysis, and to focus on outcomes rather than inputs. Kenny also defended diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, stating that "DEI doesn't create meritocracy when the opposite is true" and advising leaders to "stick to your values." He described board governance as a role that involves being "the keepers of the values" and a "backstop or a gut check on management."

Recent appearances

Notable quotes

“I think the urgent need in my ask for you to consider is what should be generally accepted data principles in the media business. And the analogy I'll give you is the reason the financial markets work... is at the foundation we have generally accepted accounting principles... Now that data is in particularly customer data is the fuel, what are generally accepted data principles and as AI is going to be useful in prod”

The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →