MUMBAI: News Corporation has elected John L Thornton to its board of directors. His appointment is effective immediately.
Alongside appointment of the Thornton, News Corp has also reconstructed the board committee membership.
After the election of Thornton, the number of News Corporation's directors increases to 15. The board now has a majority of independent directors, says a company release.
The release also announced that the board's three committees - audit, nominating and corporate governance, and compensation committee - have been reconstituted to reflect changes to the board membership.
Announcing the election of Thornton, News Corporation chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch in an official statement said, "John is a highly respected businessman. He has been a senior officer of one of the world's greatest financial institutions in Goldman Sachs and is a recognized authority on business leadership. John's contributions to the board as an additional independent member will be invaluable."
Thornton has been a professor of global leadership at Beijing's Tsinghua University and Goldman Sachs' former president and co-chief operating officer.
Thornton, 50, continues to serve as a senior advisor to the firm and remains as a director of The Goldman Sachs Foundation.
He joined Goldman Sachs in 1980 and became a partner in 1988. He is also a director of the Ford Motor Company, Intel Corporation, The DirectTV group and Pacific Century group, Inc.
The changes to the board's committees, according to the News Corp release, include:
.Rod Eddington was added to the Audit Committee and appointed as a chairman.
.Peter Barnes joins the existing members of the committee, Andrew Knight and Thomas Perkins.
.Viet Dinh has joined the nominating and corporate governance committee.
.Geoff Bible, as chairman, and Ken Cowley will remain members of the committee, while Rod Eddington has retired.
John Thornton joined the compensation Committee. Andrew Knight remains chairman of the committee and fellow members Rod Eddington and Thomas Perkins will remain on the committee, adds the release.
