Rich serves as Executive Vice President, General Tax Counsel and Chief Veteran Officer for Paramount Global. As the Company’s General Tax Counsel, he leads the Company’s worldwide tax practice.  In this role he oversees all tax planning, strategy, operations, risk management, litigation, government relations and legislative initiatives. Rich was a key part of the senior leadership team that re-combined Viacom and CBS and now Paramount. As the Company’s Chief Veteran Officer, Rich founded the Paramount Veterans Network. He oversees and coordinates all veteran/military-related initiatives and programming for the Company, ensuring that the sacrifices of our nation’s veterans and their families are never forgotten and that Paramount is doing all that it can to promote their well-being.

 

Prior to the merger, Rich served as Executive Vice President, General Tax Counsel and Chief Veteran Officer for CBS Corporation, where he oversaw worldwide tax planning, strategy, operations, risk management, litigation, government relations and legislative initiatives. Rich was a key part of the senior leadership team that separated Viacom from CBS in 2005 and recombined Viacom and CBS in 2019. Prior to joining Viacom in 2005, Rich served as Vice President, Senior Tax Counsel and Assistant Treasurer for General Electric (NBC Universal), where he was responsible for all domestic and international tax planning, M&A, treasury, operations and controversy matters and was part of the leadership team that oversaw the merger of NBC and Universal Studios. Before joining General Electric in 2003, he spent more than a decade as both a Certified Public Accountant and Tax Lawyer with Ernst & Young, working in their Media & Entertainment and Transaction Advisory Services practices. Rich also served as a Law Clerk for the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, in the chambers of the Honorable Judge John P. Balio. Prior to re-entering civilian life, Rich was a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, where he served honorably as a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment and 10th Mountain Division.

 

Rich received his law and business degrees from Syracuse University, where he graduated with honors and was admitted to the Order of the Barristers. He is also a graduate of Boston University, where he earned a Master of Laws in both corporate and tax law. Rich also received a Bachelor of Science degree (summa cum laude) from Syracuse University. Syracuse University honored Rich by presenting him with the George Arents Award, which is the highest award presented to its alumni.

 

Rich is admitted to practice before the Courts of New York, Connecticut and the District of Columbia, and is licensed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Tax Court. As a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York Society of CPAs, Rich serves on the Corporate Governance and Tax Committees. He is a member of the American Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association, where he serves on the Corporate Counsel, Fiscal Policy and Mergers & Acquisitions/Joint Ventures Committees and is a member of the American Academy of Attorney-Certified Public Accountants. Rich is passionate about corporate governance and is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). He is also a frequent and noted lecturer for Bloomberg, the NACD and the Practicing Law Institute, where he is a member of the faculty.

 

Rich works closely with many veteran organizations and is a tireless and passionate champion for our nation’s veterans. He is a proud life member of both the American Legion and Disabled American Veterans (DAV). In 2009 he was appointed by Congress to serve on the advisory committee on Veterans’ Employment, Training and Employer Outreach (ACVETEO) at the U.S. Labor Department and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In addition, he sits on the boards of the Wounded Warrior Project (where he served on the Governance Committee and was the Audit Committee chairman), the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), the Office for Veterans and Military Affairs at Syracuse University (where he is the chairman), Empire Vets (where he is co-chairman), the National Veterans Memorial & Museum and is an advisor to the Army Ranger Lead the Way Fund, the GallantFew, The Darby Project, Veterans Advantage and the Fisher House Foundation.

 

A devoted husband and father, Rich has been married to his lovely wife Robin for over three decades, and they have two great kids Barbara and Rhys. They live in Bedford, N.Y.