GE announced today that Gary Sheffer, chief communications officer, will
retire from the Company at the end of 2015 after 16 years of
distinguished service, including 12 years leading the GE Communications
and Public Affairs team. Deirdre Latour, currently senior director of
external communications, will succeed Sheffer in the role effective
April 1.
Sheffer joined GE in 1999 after 17 years in journalism and government
communications, including serving as a press aide to two New York
governors. He led the global communications and public affairs function
for the Company for the past 12 years, including helping direct the
Ecomagination and GE Works campaigns. He guided the Company’s
communications strategy through the financial crisis. Sheffer is
chairman of the board of the Arthur W. Page Society, a membership
organization for senior public relations and corporate communications
executives. He also serves on the board of the Institute for Public
Relations, GE Foundation and the GE-Reagan Scholarship Program. Sheffer
earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in English from Siena College in
Loudonville, New York.
“Gary has developed one of the best communications teams in the world,”
said Beth Comstock, president & CEO, GE Business Innovations and chief
marketing officer. “He has been an extremely respected and influential
leader in our company for many years and has successfully helped shape
and strengthen GE’s reputation during volatile times.”
Latour has served as senior director of external communications since
2013. In that role she was responsible for building and executing a
communications strategy to enhance and protect the reputation of GE,
including financial communications, issues and crisis management and
external communications for the CEO, CFO and CMO. In the new role, she
will lead GE’s communications function globally, including
internal/external communications, public affairs, executive
communications, public relations, and functional talent development.
Prior to joining GE in 2004, Latour worked for the global public
relations firm Edelman, where she was a vice president, responsible for
a variety of corporate communications, brand, cause, consumer and
entertainment marketing efforts for clients such as Jazz at Lincoln
Center, ACUVUE and GM. Latour is a graduate of Holy Cross College. She
has been recognized by the industry including being named the Corporate
PR Person of the Year by PR News and one of the 40 under 40 Influencers
by PR Week.
“Deirdre is a strategic communications executive with a proven track
record of success," said Comstock. “Her energy, enthusiasm and knowledge
will be a great asset in managing our global team to further enhance
GE’s reputation.”
About GE
GE (NYSE:GE) imagines things others don’t, builds things others can’t
and delivers outcomes that make the world work better. GE brings
together the physical and digital worlds in ways no other company can.
In its labs and factories and on the ground with customers, GE is
inventing the next industrial era to move, power, build and cure the
world. www.ge.com
Copyright Business Wire 2015