(MENAFN- PRovoke) NEW YORK-Franz Paasche has joined telecommunications giant Verizon as executive vice president, corporate affairs in a move that will bring together the company's corporate communications, public affairs and government relations, and responsible business teams under Paasche's leadership.

Stacy Sharpe, who was named Verizon CCO at the beginning of 2024, will report to Paasche, as will Donna Epps and the responsible business team, and Kathy Grillo and the public policy and government affairs team.

Paasche brings more than 30 years of experience leading public affairs, communications, government relations, and social impact across both private and public sectors, most recently as EVP of public affairs and communications at Columbia University, where he led communications, government relations and community engagement at a critical time for the university.

Earlier, he served as chief corporate affairs officer at PayPal, leading global communications, public affairs, reputation management and social impact. During his tenure, PayPal was named one of the World's Most Admired Companies by Fortune every year from 2017 to 2023, and Paasche was named to our Influence 100 list of the world's most influential in-house communicators.

Before joining PayPal, Paasche held key leadership roles in communications, reputation risk management and law, including serving as the head of external relations for North America at McKinsey & Company, senior partner at Fleishman Hillard, managing director of Clark & Weinstock, general counsel of Market Data Corporation and litigator at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind and Garrison.

“We have an opportunity to redefine not just who we are as a company, but to fundamentally change and lead our entire industry,” says Verizon CEO Dan Schulman. To achieve that level of impact, we need to rethink how we show up with our customers and compete in the market. This will include deepening our relationships across key stakeholders, strengthening our reputation and shaping our culture rooted in our values.

“In a world where trust and transparency matter more than ever, how we show up, communicate and deliver define who we are as a company. By creating a world-class corporate affairs function, we will take bold and responsible actions to drive growth and position Verizon as a leader with all our stakeholders.”

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