FAIRFIELD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 15, 2003--GE has named Beth Comstock its chief marketing officer and corporate vice president of marketing, overseeing a new corporate commercial leadership team to drive marketing and sales leadership across the company. This is a new position reporting to Jeffrey Immelt, GE Chairman and CEO. Comstock, 42, has been serving as corporate vice president of communications, and will continue to oversee integrated communications.
In making the appointment, Immelt said: "We are making GE a more externally focused, market-driven company to better serve our customers and their future needs. While we have made good progress invigorating GE's commercial efforts, our next step is to drive marketing leadership, in tandem with sales, across the company. Beth and her team will focus more resources on serving markets where GE has multiple business efforts, starting with healthcare, energy, automotive, aviation, retail and transportation industries.
Beth will be responsible for leading an invigorated marketing function and driving GE's brand more broadly. I am confident her energy, ability to guide programs, and understanding of trends and brand building will be important assets to this effort," continued Immelt.
Gary Sheffer has been promoted to general manager of GE public affairs and employee communications, reporting jointly to Comstock and Bill Conaty, GE's senior vice president for human resources. Gary will oversee media and public relations, messaging and employee campaigns.
Comstock has been a GE company officer and vice president of corporate communications since 1998. Most recently, she has led the company's efforts to position GE's identity with its future through the launch of the successful imagination at work campaign.
Previously Comstock was senior vice president of NBC communications from 1996, and vice president of NBC News communications from 1993. She held a succession of communications positions at NBC, Turner Broadcasting and CBS Entertainment. She began her career covering the Virginia State Legislature for a Richmond-based news service.
A native of Virginia, Comstock is a graduate of the College of William and Mary. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two daughters.
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified technology and services company. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, medical imaging, television programming and plastics, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.ge.com.
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