Comcast said it has promoted senior VP of corporate and digital communications Jennifer Khoury to chief communications officer, succeeding D’Arcy Rudnay who is retiring after 16 years.

Her appointment is effective today (Feb. 20), and Khoury will oversee Comcast’s external and internal corporate communications functions.

“I can’t thank D’Arcy enough for her friendship and leadership, her unwavering commitment to our success, and her dedication and service to our company,” Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said in a press release. “D’Arcy created our corporate brand and has led our communications strategy through some of the most important milestones in our history. We’ve been side-by-side through game-changing acquisitions, including NBCUniversal and Sky, industry-shaping technological innovations, and an incredible period of growth. D’Arcy has been a trusted partner to me for nearly two decades and her impact on our company cannot be overstated.”

Rudnay will remain with the company through the end of the year and serve as senior advisor to Comcast’s Executive Leadership Team.

Khoury joined Comcast about 20 years ago and has been responsible for leading communications for Comcast Cable. She also oversees the corporate digital communications team, a function she built over the past decade.

“Jenn is a fantastic leader and the perfect person to lead us into the future,” Roberts said in the press release. “This well-deserved promotion will come as no surprise to those who know and have worked with Jenn. Her strategic vision and deep knowledge of the company and the industry has earned her the respect and support of our entire management team.”

Khoury will report to Roberts and to Adam Miller, who was also promoted to senior executive vice president of Comcast Corporation in addition to his executive vice president role at NBCUniversal. 

Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) has tapped BBC America president and general manager Sarah Barnett and Comcast executive vice president and chief communications officer D’Arcy Rudnay as its respective 2017 programmer and operator “Woman of The Year” honorees.

WICT also announced its “2017 Women To Watch” honorees, which include Samira Panah Bakhtiar, Director of Media Operations for Cisco Systems -- the first award recipient of the newly established Technology category -- Tina Thornton, Senior Vice President of Production & Multimedia Sponsorship Integration and Management Operations for ESPN; and Charlene Keys, AVP, Field Operations, Western North Carolina, for Charter Communications. 

Honorees will receive their awards during the WICT Touchstones Luncheon on Monday, Sept. 25, at the WICT Leadership Conference, part of the cable industry's annual Diversity Week. AMC Networks will once again return as the exclusive Premier Sponsor of the Touchstones Luncheon. 

"WICT is honored to applaud and celebrate the achievements of these extraordinary individuals," said Maria Brennan, CAE, President and CEO of WICT, in a statement. "Each honoree embodies the WICT Touchstones of Leadership and serves as a shining example for others in the industry to emulate. We look forward to showcasing their accomplishments during this year's Touchstones Luncheon as part of Diversity Week 2017, and we thank AMC Networks for their continued support of this important event."

Comcast said Monday it has promoted senior vice president and chief communications officer D’Arcy Rudnay to Corporate Executive Vice President, the first woman in company history to receive the distinction. She will report jointly to Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts and Executive Vice President David Cohen.  

Comcast also promoted two other executives to EVP – SVP chief accounting officer and controller Lawrence Salva and SVP, general counsel and secretary Arthur Block.

As chief communications officer, Rudnay serves as communications counsel to the executive team and leads the management of the Comcast brand, reputation and strategic and financial communications to external audiences and to the company’s 139,000 employees. She  helped to lead the communications strategy around the announcement of the $45 billion Time Warner Cable acquisition as well as the $30 billion NBCUniversal transaction in 2011 and the subsequent rebranding of the combined company.

“D’Arcy has led us through game changing acquisitions, industry-shaping technological innovations and some of the most important milestones in our company’s history,” said Roberts in a statement. “She is a trusted partner to me and to the entire senior executive team, and we are fortunate to have her counsel, talent and passion as we look ahead to an exciting future.”

Rudnay is also an executive champion for the Women’s Network at Comcast, the Company’s largest employee resource group which focuses on career development and advancement for Comcast women. The Network has grown to more than 1,100 members.

“D’Arcy is an extraordinary communications leader – I am constantly struck by her professionalism, her calm under pressure, and her ability to so expertly communicate our message with all of our audiences in this ever-changing media landscape,” Cohen said in a statement.

Prior to joining Comcast, Rudnay  spent nearly ten years in the financial services industry, including vice president of corporate communications and media relations at Lincoln Financial Group and the Lincoln Financial Group Foundation. At Advanta Corporation, she served as Vice President of Communications and Corporate Identity and prior to that worked in communications for The Pew Charitable Trusts and for strategic communications firms in Washington, D.C.

Block, who will report to Cohen, is Comcast’s chief legal officer, overseeing its legal, corporate governance, compliance, and strategic intellectual property functions.

“Art has been an outstanding leader of our legal affairs team and has earned great respect from his colleagues and peers throughout our company and industry,” said Cohen in astatement. “He is a trusted advisor who provides excellent judgment, strong leadership, and extensive industry experience, and has led the company through some of its most complex transactions.”

During his 26 years with the company, he has served as the lead in-house attorney for Comcast’s mergers, acquisitions and financings, including transformative acquisitions like AT&T Broadband and NBC Universal.

Prior to joining Comcast, Block was a partner in the Corporate Department of the Philadelphia law firm Wolf Block where he began his legal career in 1978. During his tenure at Wolf Block, he served as a legal advisor to Comcast before joining the company as in-house counsel in 1989.

“Art is a distinguished legal expert with deep knowledge and understanding of complex matters and is one of the best lawyers in our industry and the profession as a whole,” Roberts said in a statement. “He has been a key part of Comcast’s growth and over the years has provided invaluable advice as part of the senior management team. I look forward to his continued success at the company.”

Salva, who will report to vice chairman and chief financial officer Michael Angelakis, is responsible for external financial and management reporting for Comcast. As Corporate Controller, he oversees the company’s corporate accounting and corporate internal controls, enterprise risk management, and support of the corporate financial planning and analysis functions.

“Larry has done a phenomenal job leading our accounting and reporting functions across the company,”

Angelakis said in a statement. “For 15 years, he has been an integral part of Comcast’s financial success. He is a trusted advisor who is well-respected in our industry and always brings strategic thinking and leadership to his work.”

Prior to joining Comcast in January 2000, Salva was a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers for over 12 years, where he held various positions. He was also named the national technical accounting consulting partner and regional risk management partner for PwC’s Southeast Region following the merger of Coopers & Lybrand and Pricewaterhouse. He also served as a Professional Accounting Fellow with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission’s Office of the Chief Accountant.