News Corp Executive VP of Global marketing and Corporate Affairs Gary Ginsberg will be leaving News Corp at the end of the year, the company announced Monday.
"Gary has been one of my most trusted and effective executives over the past decade," Rupert Murdoch said in a statement. "He developed and expertly managed our corporate affairs efforts, spearheaded initiatives that added significant value to our businesses, and is as well-liked and respected a colleague as any in our company. As difficult as it was to accept his decision to leave, I am pleased he has agreed to continue to serve as an advisor."
"This has been the experience of a lifetime and I will always be grateful to Rupert for the many opportunities he's given me over the years," Ginsberg said. "It was a difficult decision to leave a company that has been such a vital part of my life and I'll miss the many talented colleagues who have helped make this such a thrilling and fascinating ride. But I've been thinking about leaving for a while now to pursue something new, and this seemed like the right time to do it."
Ginsberg, who will remain a consultant to Murdoch, will be replaced by two executives: Teri Everett will become the head of corporate communications and corporate social responsibility, while Reed Nolte will oversee investor relations.
The New York Times's Tim Arango reports that Ginsberg has served as Murdoch's liaison to the Democratic party:
In 2002, Mr. Ginsberg arranged a lunch between Mr. Clinton and Mr. Murdoch in Harlem, which was followed the next year with a tour of the newsroom of The New York Post, one of News Corporation's properties. The flirtation eventually led to The Post endorsing Hillary Clinton for Senate in 2006, the same year that Mr. Murdoch held a fund-raiser for Senator Clinton at News Corporation's New York headquarters.
That relationship has since fractured, however, and efforts by Mr. Ginsberg to broker close ties between Mr. Murdoch and President Obama, which led to a meeting last year before the election, did not result in an endorsement. (The Post endorsed Senator John McCain for president.)