Brian L. Roberts (born June 28, 1959) is an American businessman.
Roberts and is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Comcast Corporation, an American company providing cable, entertainment, and communications products and services. Under his leadership, Comcast has grown into a global Fortune 50 company uniquely positioned at the intersection of media and technology with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal.
Early life and education:
Roberts was born into a Jewish family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Ralph J. Roberts, the founder of Comcast Corporation, and Suzanne Fleisher, a former actress and playwright. Roberts graduated from the Germantown Academy and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1981, and immediately began working for Comcast.
Career:
Roberts is Chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation, and personally controls 33 1/3% of the voting rights of the company.He was named President of Comcast Corporation in 1990 when the company had $657 million in annual revenue. Comcast Corporation’s annual revenue has since grown to $74.5 billion.
Roberts is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), and a former treasurer. Roberts served as Chairman of NCTA from 1995 to 1996, when the landmark deregulatory 1996 Telecommunications Act became law.
In 2014, Roberts received US$26.4 million in compensation, and in 2015, his net worth was US$1.7 billion.
Awards and philanthropy:
Institutional Investor Magazine named Roberts as its top vote-getter for three years in a row (2004–06) in the Cable & Satellite category of their America's Best CEOs annual survey; and named Comcast as one of America's Most Shareholder-Friendly Companies in 2006.
Roberts was the recipient of the 2004 Humanitarian Award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and was the 2002 Walter Kaitz Foundation Honoree of the Year for his commitment to diversity in the cable industry. The Police Athletic League of Philadelphia honored Roberts with their 2002 award for his commitment to youth programs and community partnerships.
In 2001, Roberts was awarded the USC Shoah Foundation Institute's 2011 Ambassador for Humanity Award.
The Aileen K. and Brian L. Roberts Foundation Foundation was one of the largest contributors to the restoration of the Alfred W. Fleisher Memorial Synagogue at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, named in the honor of his maternal grandfather.
Maccabiah Games:
Being an All-American squash player and of Jewish descent, Roberts participated in the Maccabiah Games in Israel, earning a Gold Medal with the U.S. Squash team in 2005, and Silver Medals in 1981, 1985, 1997, and 2009. On October 21, 2012, Roberts was honored by Maccabi USA as a 'Legend of the Maccabiah.
Politics:
Roberts was a founding co-chair of Philadelphia 2000, the nonpartisan host committee for the 2000 Republican National Convention. The Pennsylvania Report named Roberts to the 2003 "The Pennsylvania Report Power 75" list of influential figures in Pennsylvania politics, calling him "Pennsylvania’s most powerful businessman", and noted his influence with Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell.
In 2003, Roberts was named to the PoliticsPA list of politically influential individuals.
Since 2006, Roberts has donated more than $76,000 to Democratic candidates, and $13,500 to Republican candidates.
In December 2009, Roberts wrote a letter to President Barack Obama, endorsing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.