Woodbridge Co. CEO Elected To GE's Board

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) — Industrial conglomerate General Electric Co. said Friday that W. Geoffrey Beattie has been elected to its board of directors.

Beattie, 49, is president and chief executive of Canadian holding company The Woodbridge Co. Ltd., which is the majority shareholder of news and financial information company Thomson Reuters.

Additionally, he is deputy chairman and director of Thomson Reuters.

Beattie, also a board member of Maple Leaf Foods Inc. and Royal Bank of Canada, is chairman of CTV globemedia Inc., a Canadian broadcasting and publishing company and a trustee of the University Health Network in Toronto.

Prior to joining Woodbridge in 1998, Beattie was a partner in the Toronto law firm Torys LLP.

Beattie's election returns the size of GE's board to 16 members after a previous member retired in April.

GE shares dipped 10 cents to $13.37 in morning trading.