Thomson family holding company head steps down

Geoff Beattie has stepped down from his post as president of the Woodbridge Company Ltd., the holding company for the business interests of Canada’s Thomson family,

the

Wall Street Journal

reported.

The new president will be David Binet, the company’s chief operating officer, the article said.

Beattie will continue to serve as deputy chairman of media and data company Thomson Reuters, which is 55% owned by Woodbridge, according to the

Journal

report. Binet will join the Thomson Reuters board.

The

Journal

article noted that Beattie “is widely seen as one of the architects” of Thomson Corp.’s acquisition of Reuters PLC in 2008 for $17 billion. The share price has fallen since the acquisition.

The

Journal

report said Beattie left Woodbridge to focus on Thomson Reuters. (Source:

Wall Street Journal,

Nov. 30, 2012.)