Charter Communications said it has hired David Ellen as senior executive vice president. The former Cablevision Systems executive will be in charge of corporate functions, including programming, news and sports networks, strategic policy development, regulatory compliance, human resources, communications and security. He will also oversee the legal support for those units.
Ellen will be based at Charter's Stamford, Conn., headquarters and report to chairman and CEO Tom Rutledge.
"David brings a wealth of industry experience and expertise to Charter and a history of innovative thinking and successful execution," Rutledge said in a statement. "His grasp of the component pieces of our business – including how our business strategy around programming and content must be developed in the context of a complex and changing environment – and his proven senior leadership skills will make him an invaluable asset to Charter as we continue to grow," he added. "We couldn't be more excited about David's arrival."
At Cablevision, Ellen had served as general counsel at Cablevision until its sale to Altice N.V. in June. At Cablevision he was responsible for helping the CEO guide all aspects of Cablevision's business and worked closely with engineers and product developers on several initiatives, including leading the company's successful legal defense of its cloud-based DVR product as well as the legal strategy supporting the rollout of in-home streaming of the company's entire cable service to IP-enabled devices.
Prior to Cablevision, Ellen served in executive roles as deputy general counsel at IAC and general counsel of Eureka Broadband, a private New York-based telecommunications company.
Ellen also was a special counsel at the Federal Communications Commission working on the implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 as well as a law clerk for Judges Stephen Breyer and Judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg when they were on the U.S. Court of Appeals and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor during her time on the U.S. Supreme Court.
