Megumi Ikeda hired for Peacock Equity Fund's European Arm
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE Commercial Finance's Media, Communications & Entertainment business and NBC Universal today announce the appointment of Thomas M. Byrne, 40, as Managing Director to lead the $250 million newly branded "Peacock Equity Fund". Megumi Ikeda, 37, has also been named as Executive Director, based in London, reporting to Byrne.
Peacock Equity is a joint venture between GE -- Media, Communications & Entertainment and NBC Universal that invests in media and technology companies with high growth potential. In April 2007, the Fund announced its first investment, in Adify, a company whose automated technology creates unique solutions for serving ads online.
Byrne heads an international staff charged with investing equity capital in companies that have a strong strategic fit with NBC Universal in a wide range of areas, including advertising services, wireless, digital content and communities, and international platforms.
"As a strategic partner to the media, communications and entertainment industries, GE continues to enhance its expertise by appointing Tom to run the Peacock Equity Fund," said Michael Chen, President and CEO, GE -- Media, Communications & Entertainment. "Tom's sector insight and leadership will help fuel the Fund's success and continue the collaborative momentum that the GE and NBC Universal teams have created."
Over the course of his 15-year career in media and communications, Tom has held roles of increasing responsibility at GE, ABN AMRO and Royal Bank of Canada. He holds a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance from Hofstra University.
"The European media landscape is developing at a rapid pace and continues to create innovative new technologies, distribution networks and business models," said Byrne. "Megumi brings a wealth of expertise and understanding of the international media market, which will enable us to invest and finance the development of state-of-the-art technologies to the benefit of our customers."
Ikeda was formerly Vice President of strategic initiatives and new media for NBC Universal in New York, where she was responsible for developing strategy, negotiating and launching new media channels and products. Previously, Ikeda worked in a number of roles at Time Warner, Conde Naste Publications and Dow Jones. She holds an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA and a BA from Columbia University.
About GE Commercial Finance -- Media, Communications & Entertainment
With nearly $8 billion in assets and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, Norwalk and San Francisco, the Media, Communications & Entertainment business is a global strategic partner to the media, communications & entertainment industries and the technologies that enable them. We bring GE's full resources and financial strength to each relationship, while delivering industry expertise and flexible financing solutions that maximize stakeholder value. www.geMCE.com. GE Commercial Finance, which offers businesses around the globe an array of financial products and services, has assets of over $230 billion and is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. GE (NYSE: GE) is Imagination at Work -- a diversified technology, media and financial services company focused on solving some of the world's toughest problems. GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. www.ge.com.
About NBC Universal
NBC Universal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric and 20% owned by Vivendi.
Contacts Media Relations
GE Commercial Finance, Norwalk
Ned Reynolds/Managing Director, Corporate Communications
203-229-5717
[email protected]
or
GE Commercial Finance, London
William Spiers/Communications Director, Europe
+020 7302 6454
[email protected]
or
NBC Universal, New York
Amy Zelvin/SVP, Digital Media Communications
212-664-7436
[email protected]
Jeff Wilson
GE Capital Corporate Finance
[email protected]
1-203-749-6340