Chicago Black Executive Sues Nielsen

Cheryl Grace

A longtime Nielsen Holdings executive tasked with improving the company’s outreach to Black consumers has filed a civil rights lawsuit alleging the market research firm discriminated against her.

The Chicago Tribune reports Cheryl Grace, a Black executive in Nielsen’s Chicago office, alleges Nielsen retaliated against her for speaking out about racial discrimination and the company’s treatment of African Americans. The suit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleges Nielsen refused to promote Grace to executive vice president, instead hiring people from outside the company to “create the optic of inclusion and opportunity.” It seeks financial awards for lost compensation and benefits, among other damages.

Grace, who is a senior vice president of U.S. Strategic Alliances and Consumer Engagement, oversaw the company’s philanthropic outreach, cultural advertising strategy and government relations, according to the complaint. She also founded Nielsen’s Diverse Intelligence Series reports on multicultural consumers and appears in videos on the company’s website discussing African American consumers.

In February, Grace was told to justify her team’s work amid “noise around reductions” and was asked if she wanted to be “packaged out,” the complaint alleges. The company then shifted responsibilities away from Grace and reduced her team and budget, the complaint alleges.

“In her 16 years with Nielsen, Mrs. Grace has been an important part of our company’s journey to become a more diverse and inclusive firm. Nielsen has long recognized and appreciated her commitment to our company and Chicago’s Black community as evidenced by her breadth of responsibilities," Nielsen spokeswoman Fernanda Paredes said.