Eric Rubenstein

Eric Rubenstein is an executive coach and former global Chief Legal Officer with more than 30 years of experience advising CEOs, boards of directors, and executive leadership teams at major public and private equity-backed companies. His career spans Technology, SaaS, AI, Data & Analytics, Media, Advertising, and Global Professional Services, with senior leadership positions at Nielsen, NielsenIQ, Vialto Partners, and Extreme Reach. At NielsenIQ, Eric helped lead the company's $2.7B sale to Advent International, oversaw an 80+ person global organization, and managed a $30M budget.

Eric's experience combines technology strategy, digital transformation, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance. At Nielsen, he helped negotiate groundbreaking data and technology partnerships with Meta (Facebook), Google, and Experian, supported commercial agreements representing $6B+ in annual revenue, and led legal work on major acquisitions, including Arbitron (1.3B)andGracenote(560M). More recently, at Extreme Reach, a global advertising technology and SaaS company, he developed an AI governance framework, advanced the adoption of generative AI and legal automation, and advised executive leadership on cybersecurity, data privacy, and technology-related business risks.

His global executive experience includes serving as Chief Legal Officer of Vialto Partners, where he built a 45-person organization from scratch supporting a 9,000-employee business operating across 50+ countries. Earlier in his career, Eric held senior Nielsen leadership assignments in China and Australia, advising on international business operations, commercial strategy, and regulatory matters.

At Close Collins, Eric coaches Senior Managers, Directors, VPs, General Counsel, and C-suite executives across industries navigating executive career transitions, promotions, and increasingly complex leadership responsibilities. Drawing on decades of experience working directly with CEOs, corporate boards, and private equity investors, he helps professionals strengthen their executive positioning, strategic influence, negotiation skills, and performance in high-stakes career decisions.

Eric completed the Stanford Executive Program at Stanford Graduate School of Business and holds a Juris Doctor from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

He describes his coaching philosophy:

“I help people figure out how to get things done and bring others with them. I ask questions, give honest feedback, and help them think through what to do next. My goal is for clients to leave each conversation knowing how they’ll move forward.”