Comcast said Monday it has promoted senior vice president and chief communications officer D’Arcy Rudnay to Corporate Executive Vice President, the first woman in company history to receive the distinction. She will report jointly to Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts and Executive Vice President David Cohen.
Comcast also promoted two other executives to EVP – SVP chief accounting officer and controller Lawrence Salva and SVP, general counsel and secretary Arthur Block.
As chief communications officer, Rudnay serves as communications counsel to the executive team and leads the management of the Comcast brand, reputation and strategic and financial communications to external audiences and to the company’s 139,000 employees. She helped to lead the communications strategy around the announcement of the $45 billion Time Warner Cable acquisition as well as the $30 billion NBCUniversal transaction in 2011 and the subsequent rebranding of the combined company.
“D’Arcy has led us through game changing acquisitions, industry-shaping technological innovations and some of the most important milestones in our company’s history,” said Roberts in a statement. “She is a trusted partner to me and to the entire senior executive team, and we are fortunate to have her counsel, talent and passion as we look ahead to an exciting future.”
Rudnay is also an executive champion for the Women’s Network at Comcast, the Company’s largest employee resource group which focuses on career development and advancement for Comcast women. The Network has grown to more than 1,100 members.
“D’Arcy is an extraordinary communications leader – I am constantly struck by her professionalism, her calm under pressure, and her ability to so expertly communicate our message with all of our audiences in this ever-changing media landscape,” Cohen said in a statement.
Prior to joining Comcast, Rudnay spent nearly ten years in the financial services industry, including vice president of corporate communications and media relations at Lincoln Financial Group and the Lincoln Financial Group Foundation. At Advanta Corporation, she served as Vice President of Communications and Corporate Identity and prior to that worked in communications for The Pew Charitable Trusts and for strategic communications firms in Washington, D.C.
Block, who will report to Cohen, is Comcast’s chief legal officer, overseeing its legal, corporate governance, compliance, and strategic intellectual property functions.
“Art has been an outstanding leader of our legal affairs team and has earned great respect from his colleagues and peers throughout our company and industry,” said Cohen in astatement. “He is a trusted advisor who provides excellent judgment, strong leadership, and extensive industry experience, and has led the company through some of its most complex transactions.”
During his 26 years with the company, he has served as the lead in-house attorney for Comcast’s mergers, acquisitions and financings, including transformative acquisitions like AT&T Broadband and NBC Universal.
Prior to joining Comcast, Block was a partner in the Corporate Department of the Philadelphia law firm Wolf Block where he began his legal career in 1978. During his tenure at Wolf Block, he served as a legal advisor to Comcast before joining the company as in-house counsel in 1989.
“Art is a distinguished legal expert with deep knowledge and understanding of complex matters and is one of the best lawyers in our industry and the profession as a whole,” Roberts said in a statement. “He has been a key part of Comcast’s growth and over the years has provided invaluable advice as part of the senior management team. I look forward to his continued success at the company.”
Salva, who will report to vice chairman and chief financial officer Michael Angelakis, is responsible for external financial and management reporting for Comcast. As Corporate Controller, he oversees the company’s corporate accounting and corporate internal controls, enterprise risk management, and support of the corporate financial planning and analysis functions.
“Larry has done a phenomenal job leading our accounting and reporting functions across the company,”
Angelakis said in a statement. “For 15 years, he has been an integral part of Comcast’s financial success. He is a trusted advisor who is well-respected in our industry and always brings strategic thinking and leadership to his work.”
Prior to joining Comcast in January 2000, Salva was a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers for over 12 years, where he held various positions. He was also named the national technical accounting consulting partner and regional risk management partner for PwC’s Southeast Region following the merger of Coopers & Lybrand and Pricewaterhouse. He also served as a Professional Accounting Fellow with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission’s Office of the Chief Accountant.
