Capital Cities/ABC’s investor relations VP Joseph Fitzgerald left the broadcaster a few days before it was formally acquired by Walt Disney Co. He will now lead the enhanced investor relations function at Joseph E Seagram & Sons Inc, the New York-based US subsidiary of the Seagram Company. Fitzgerald had been at CapCities in a range of IR positions since 1980.
Since Seagram acquired control of MCA Inc last year, its investment audience has extended beyond beverage industry analysts and investors to include those covering the entertainment sector as well. Clearly Fitzgerald’s experience and contacts in this area will be helpful at Seagram, where he takes over IR responsibility from corporate secretary Michael Hallows, who will now work full-time on corporate secretarial duties.
Seagram’s in-house IR department is being further boosted by the arrival of Maureen Hannan, formerly senior director, corporate planning, now senior director, IR, reporting to Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald will report to Seagram chief financial officer Robert Matschullat, who notes that Fitzgerald is ‘highly regarded by investors and analysts, and has been consistently rated one of the top investor relations officers in the country by Institutional Investor magazine.’
