John Wickersham, a respected figure in business-to-business media, joins The van Tulleken Company as Managing Partner, New York.

Formerly President and CEO of VNU's U.S. Business Media Group, John Wickersham joins The van Tulleken Company from DeSilva & Phillips, a U.S. media advisory company. Making the announcement, Chief Executive Kit van Tulleken commented: "We are delighted that John has joined us at a pivotal time in the media industry. His knowledge of the business and professional sectors, and his reputation across media, further strengthens our role as advisors to the industry."

Mr. Wickersham said: "I'm pleased to be joining The van Tulleken Company, especially at a time when leading media companies are increasingly looking to expand their key information franchises globally. The van Tulleken team possesses some of the best insights, understanding and relationships for those interested in opportunities beyond their traditional markets."

Mr. Wickersham began his career in business publishing at Intertec Publishing Corporation where he played a key role in the early stages of the company's expansion. In 1990, he joined Bill Communications as President and CEO. Backed by private equity, he led an effort to restructure and grow the business, a strategy which resulted in the successful sale of Bill Communications to VNU four years later. He remained as a senior VNU executive, leading an acquisition campaign that tripled the size of his operating unit during his time in office.

An active member of media industry organizations including American Business Media ("ABM") and Business Publications Auditing International ("BPAI"), he currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Media Management Center associated with Northwestern University's Kellogg and Medill graduate schools.

The appointment of John Wickersham is part of a continuing expansion by The van Tulleken Company. It follows the recent announcement of two senior appointments in New York and London: Jonathan Gordon, Managing Director, New York, was most recently Vice President Business Development and Planning for VNU Business Media; he was previously at Primedia. Mr. Gordon qualified as a lawyer in South Africa and holds an MBA from Columbia University. Michael Doyle, Managing Director, London, is heading up the Company's technology team. Mr. Doyle was 11 years at Credit Suisse First Boston where he was COO of the European Media & Telecoms Investment Banking team. Formerly Managing Director of a pan-European technology corporate finance boutique, he has a BA in Biochemistry from Dartmouth College (USA) and a MPhil in Economics from the University of Oxford.

About The van Tulleken Company
With offices in New York and London, The van Tulleken Company advises large international corporations as well as private equity firms and small and medium-sized independent companies in the U.S., the U.K., and Europe. The Company has advised on a wide range of transactions, including most recently: the sale of VNU Business Media Europe to 3i, Sibelius Software to Avid Technologies, ITV on the divestiture of Granada Learning to Veronis Suhler Stevenson, and the sale of Paravia Bruno Mondadori to Pearson plc.