Davis Polk & Wardwell managing partner Thomas Reid will join broadcasting and cable television company Comcast Corporation next month as senior executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary.
He will report to CEO and chair Brian Roberts and be based at Comcast’s headquarters in Philadelphia.
Reid succeeds Arthur Block, who is retiring after working in Comcast’s legal group for 30 years, 20 of them as general counsel.
Reid has served as chair and managing partner of Davis Polk since 2011, having begun his career at the law firm in 1987. He was a managing director in the investment banking division of Morgan Stanley from 2000 to 2003 before rejoining Davis Polk. He has been the law firm’s lead partner with Comcast for almost four years and played a key role in recent significant transactions such as the Sky acquisition that wrapped up last year. His practice includes capital markets, M&A, financial regulation and corporate governance.
Comcast’s businesses include media companies NBCUniversal and Xfinity, and television channels such as NBC, Telemundo, MSNBC, CNBC, USA Network, Syfy and E!
Roberts says in a statement: ‘I am thrilled Tom is joining our company. He has deep and broad global experience that spans all of Comcast’s legal needs. With his unique blend of skills and versatility, he is ideally suited to help us navigate the future. We look forward to his sage counsel for the entire organization.
‘I also want to express my sincere gratitude to Arthur Block… Art helped us grow Comcast through some of the largest and most transformational acquisitions. He helped establish and maintain the integrity and ethical culture of our legal team and high standards throughout the company – for this, and much more, we are so grateful.’
Reid says in an announcement of his move: ‘I am honored to be joining Comcast as it continues to lead and transform many industries across the globe. Having worked alongside Comcast for many years, I know first-hand what an exciting company it is. I have had the great privilege of working with Art Block as he has grown and created one of the most respected legal groups in the US.’
A spokesperson for Davis Polk issued a statement saying: ‘We are grateful to Tom for his visionary leadership of the firm over the last eight years, culminating in our record-setting performance this year. Tom is a brilliant lawyer, a dedicated partner and a wonderful friend. We will of course miss his presence in the office, but are excited to see him tackle this new challenge with our longtime client Comcast.’
Ben Maiden
Ben Maiden is the editor-at-large of Governance Intelligence, an IR Media publication, having joined the company in December 2016. He is based in New York. Ben was previously managing editor of Compliance Reporter, covering regulatory and compliance...
