NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--News Corporation today announced that James W. Breyer, 50, has been nominated to join the Board of Directors and will stand for election at the Company’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders on October 21, 2011 in Los Angeles, CA.
Commenting on the nomination, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rupert Murdoch said, “Jim has a remarkable track record in the investment community and his background in media and technology will enable him to make significant contributions to News Corporation’s Board.”
Mr. Breyer is a Partner of Accel Partners, a leading global venture capital firm, and has been an investor in numerous successful consumer internet, media, and technology companies. In April 2011, Forbes placed Mr. Breyer in the number one spot on its Midas List of top technology investors. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., where he is the Presiding Independent Director, and Dell Inc. where he is the Chairman of the Finance Committee. He served on the Board of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. up until its acquisition by Disney. At Marvel, he was the founding Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee. Mr. Breyer is also a lead investor/director in several privately-held companies, including Facebook, Brightcove and Legendary Pictures.
“I consider it a privilege to be nominated and I am excited about the prospect of joining News Corp.’s distinguished Board at this exciting time in the Company's history,” said Mr. Breyer.
News Corporation also announced that Directors Kenneth E. Cowley and Thomas J. Perkins will no longer serve on the Board after the upcoming Annual Meeting.
“We thank Ken and Tom for their years of service on the News Corporation Board and sincerely appreciate the critical insights they provided. We will miss them both and wish them continued success,” said Mr. Murdoch.
Mr. Cowley has served on the News Corporation Board since 1979 and had a long and distinguished career at the Company. He first joined News Corporation in 1964 as part of a team that launched “The Australian”, Australia’s first and only national daily broadsheet. He served in a number of senior executive roles at News Limited, including Chairman and CEO from 1980 to 1997. He is currently executive chairman of RM Williams Holdings Pty Limited.
Mr. Perkins has been a Board Director since 1996. He is the founding partner of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a prominent venture capital company.
Additional Information
News Corporation filed a definitive proxy statement concerning the 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on September 1, 2011. News Corporation advises stockholders to read the definitive proxy statement because it contains important information about the election of directors and any other matters to be presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Stockholders may obtain free copies of the definitive proxy statement and other documents the Company files with the SEC at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. They may also access a copy of the company's definitive proxy statement by accessing http://www.newscorp.com/investor/annual_meeting_info.html.
News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) had total assets as of June 30, 2011 of approximately US$62 billion and total annual revenues of approximately US$33 billion. News Corporation is a diversified global media company with operations in six industry segments: cable network programming; filmed entertainment; television; direct broadcast satellite television; publishing; and other. The activities of News Corporation are conducted principally in the United States, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, Asia and Latin America.
For more information about News Corporation, please visit www.newscorp.com.