World Intellectual Property Organization names Francis Gurry to second six-year term as director general … Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., promotes Emily Spain to legislative director … SpaceX, spacecraft and launch company, hires John Taylor, leaving Sprint, as director-communications … Comcast’s thePlatform, video publishing company, promotes Marty Roberts and Jamie Miller to co-CEOs, as CEO Ian Blaine becomes strategic adviser … World Teleport Association has newly elected to three-year board terms Robert Kubbernus, Signalhorn, Kian Soon Lim, Singapore Telecommunications, and Jorge Villarreal Schutz, Elara Comunicaciones … Lobbyist registration: British Telecommunications, Hogan Lovells, effective May 1.
Information Technology Industry Council promotes in government affairs Andy Halataei to senior vice president and Vince Jesaitis to vice president … Covington & Burling hires Shara Aranoff, ex-International Trade Commission, as of counsel, intellectual property and international trade practices … Apple Vice President-Worldwide Communications Katie Cotton retiring … i2c, provider of prepaid, mobile and online commerce processing services, hires Scott Salmon, ex-Visa, as general manager-international.
FTC promotes to Bureau of Competition deputy assistant directors: In Anticompetitive Practices Division Barbara Blank and Mark Woodward, in Mergers II Division James Rhilinger, and Kate Walsh in Premerger Notification Office, where Bob Jones promoted to assistant director … Keller and Heckman hires as attorneys in telecom group Al Catalano, with expertise in wireless and other areas, as counsel, and Wes Wright, ex-Intrado, returns to firm, as senior associate, working in Denver … Holland & Knight forms unmanned aerial systems practice, including: Philip Baker-Shenk, Gary Halbert, Charles Naftalin, Joel Roberson, Charles Tobin, Christine Walz and David Whitestone.
Brownstein Hyatt promotes Marc Lampkin to managing partner, Washington office, and co-chairman, Government Relations Department, succeeding Al Mottur, who remains partner and now is focused on his lobbying practice … Internet Society Chief Internet Technology Officer Leslie Daigle leaving, no new plans announced … Gannett’s Broadcasting division hires Deborah Collura, ex-Washington Post Co.’s Post-Newsweek Stations, as president and general manager, WCNC-TV Charlotte … Qualcomm elects Harish Manwani, Unilever, to board … John Seely Brown, ex-Xerox, retires from Corning board.
Gannett board elects Lidia Fonseca, Quest Diagnostics, a member, effective July 1.
Otelco, wireline telecom provider, promotes Robert Souza to president … Google hires Ross Schulman, ex-Computer & Communications Industry Association, as public policy and government affairs manager in Mountain View, Calif. … DirecTV hires Jennifer Cho, ex-Gap, as senior vice president-treasurer.
Ericsson promotes Rima Qureshi to chief strategy officer, responsible for company’s mergers and acquisition activities … Lionsgate hires Peter Levin, ex-Nerdist Industries, as president, Interactive Ventures and Games … Qumu, enterprise video platform firm, hires David Yockelson, ex-IBM, as vice president-product marketing … U.S. Council for International Business names Eric Loeb, AT&T, chairman of Information, Communications and Technology Committee, succeeding on July 1 David Gross, Wiley Rein, stepping down from committee to become president of the FCBA … Lobbyist registrations: Neustar, Covington & Burling, effective March 18 … SoftBank, Raben Group, effective March 5.
American Library Association hires Adam Eisgrau, who continues to run Eisgrau Business Alliances, in consulting capacity as managing director, Office of Government Relations, to work on copyright, privacy and surveillance policy and legislation … Affiniti, broadband services provider to rural and underserved communities, hires Cynthia Schultz, ex-NTIA, as general counsel and chief compliance officer … Competitive Telecoms Group, telecom consultant, hires Dave Ballantine, ex-Allstream, as vice president-consulting services; Russell Jay, ex-Orange, as vice president-asset management and real estate; and Richard Miller, investment banker, as executive adviser-mergers and acquisitions.
Dish Network promotes Steven Swain to lead programming group and to senior vice president, as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer David Shull will begin six-month leave of absence May 31 to help care for a relative … Sworn in Monday as International Trade Commission member is Rhonda Schmidtlein, ex-World Bank … 21st Century Fox promotes Scott Gregg to executive vice president-sales operations, Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution … Discovery Communications promotes Victoria Lowell to executive vice president-marketing, TLC and Animal Planet … Univision Communications hires Friday Abernethy, ex-TV Guide Network, as senior vice president-content, new position.
Michigan State University names William Dutton, leaving University of Oxford, as Quello chair and director of MSU’s Quello Center, effective in August, succeeding Steve Wildman, who will remain active in the center and becomes founding director … Weil Gotshal hires Jeffrey Perry, ex-FTC Competition Bureau, as partner in global antitrust/competition practice … Rural Media Group hires Brian Hughes, ex-Outdoor Channel, as chief revenue and strategy officer, and general manager, Nashville operations … Harris Corp. elects President and CEO William Brown as chairman, succeeding Thomas Dattilo, named lead independent director … Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing new directors are Greg Butz, Comcast, Peter Ban, HBO, Jennifer Caserta Priore, IFC tv, and Joan Titens, Time Warner Cable; and new to CTAM Educational Foundation board are Paul Bosco, Cisco, Mike Biard, Fox Networks, and Jim Clayton, Scripps Networks.