By Kevin McCauley
News Corp. today announced that Jim Breyer, partner of Accel Partners venture capital firm, has been nominated to its 14-member board of directors.
Shareholders are expected to elect the 50-year-old executive to the media combine’s board at the Oct. 21 annual meeting set for Los Angeles.
Breyer serves on the boards of Wal-Mart, where he is presiding independent director, and Dell Inc., where he chairs it finance committee. He was a member of Marvel Entertainment’s board until it was acquired by Disney. Breyer is lead investor/director in privately-held companies, including Facebook, Brightcove and Legendary Pictures.
News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch said in a statement that Breyer’s “remarkable track record in the investment community and his background in media and technology will enable him to make significant contributions” to the board.”
News Corp. also announced that 79-year-old Tom Perkins, founder partner of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and 76-year-old Ken Cowley, who joined the company in 1964 as part of the team that launched “The Australian,” are stepping down from the board.
Hacking Hearings Set
The U.K.’s culture, media and sport committee of parliament resumes hearings Sept. 6 on News Corp.’s hacking scandal.
The committee will hear testimony from former News International executives including Jonathan Chapman, director of legal affairs; Daniel Cloke, group human resources director; Colin Myer, editor of News of the World, and Tom Crone, legal manager.
Myler and Crone claim that top News Corp. management including James Murdoch, News Corp. deputy COO, and Les Hinton, former head of News International and Dow Jones, were aware of the extent of the hacking scandal.
Murdoch and Hinton have said the phone hacking limited to the work of a rogue staffer.
The Committee has written letters to Hinton and former NOTW editors Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks to ask them whether they wish to add anything to or amend any of the evidence they have previously given to the panel.
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