James Murdoch Biography

James Rupert Jacob Murdoch is a British-American businessman and former CEO of 21st Century Fox. He played a crucial role in reviving Star Television, an Asian satellite broadcasting company, and saving it from collapse. Known for his hands-off management style, Murdoch allows his managers to make decisions without his direct involvement. He also seeks guidance from his father, media mogul Rupert Murdoch. However, his career faced a setback in 2011 when he had to close the British tabloid newspaper ‘News of the World’ due to a phone hacking scandal involving him and his father.

Quick Facts

  • British Celebrities Born In December
  • Also Known As: James Rupert Jacob Murdoch
  • Age: 51 Years, 51 Year Old Males
  • Family:
    • Spouse/Ex-: Kathryn Hufschmid (m. 2000)
    • Father: Rupert Murdoch
    • Mother: Anna Murdoch Mann
    • Siblings: Elisabeth Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch
    • Children: Anneka Murdoch, Emerson Murdoch, Walter Murdoch
  • Born Country: England
  • CEOs
  • American Men
  • Notable Alumni: The Harvard Lampoon, Horace Mann School
  • City: Wimbledon, England
  • More Facts
  • Education: Horace Mann School, The Harvard Lampoon

Childhood & Early Life

James Murdoch was born in Wimbledon, London, England, on 13th December 1972, to Rupert Murdoch and the Scottish journalist Anna Murdoch Mann. He has five siblings. He was considered the smartest of all his kids by Rupert Murdoch. Young James was also a rebel.

He did his schooling from Horace Mann School in New York City and graduated in 1991. He then studied film and history from Harvard University but dropped out in 1995. He went on to develop a record label with his university friends, thus forming Rawkus Records, an independent hip hop record label.

Career

James Murdoch joined News Corporation in 1996. A couple of years later, the company bought Rawkus Records, which was making a profit of $2.5 million annually. He was put in charge of the web operations of News Corporation in 1998 as he had a huge interest in the internet. Upon taking charge, he brought about heavy losses to the company as he made his father invest in a number of ventures pertaining to the internet.

His failure in the internet ventures didn’t deter the faith his father had in him. In 2000, he was appointed the CEO of Star Television, an Asian satellite service division of News Corporation. He moved to Hong Kong and revived its dying business. Upon joining Star Television, he immediately streamlined the operations and started focusing on generating content pertaining to local markets. He also shifted his focus to India and China, two of the largest markets in Asia. He helped introduce some popular programs to the audiences, including ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, the Indian version of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ which turned out to be one of the most-watched television programs in Indian history.

In February 2003, he became the Director of BSkyB, a company in which News Corporation had a minority stake of 39%. Through this, he became the youngest CEO of an FTSE 100 company. In February 2009, he was appointed as a non-executive director in GlaxoSmithKline, the British Pharmaceutical company. After three years, he stepped down from this position.

In April 2014, Murdoch joined the board of True[X] Media, a start-up in the field of advertisement. In the subsequent year, his father stepped down from the post of CEO of 21st Century Fox and appointed James as the CEO. In January 2016, Murdoch became the chairman of Sky, a broadcast company based in Britain. The following year, he became an independent director of Tesla.

In 2018, he stepped down from the position of chairman of Sky as the telecom giant Comcast bought a major stake in the company. However, he is still continuing as the director of Tesla.

Phone Hacking Scandal

The now-defunct ‘News of the World’ and a few other British newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch became involved in an infamous phone-hacking scandal that came to light in 2011. In the wake of the scandal, James Murdoch announced the closure of ‘News of the World.’

Family & Personal Life

In 2000, James Murdoch got married to Kathryn Hufschmid Murdoch who works in the Clinton Climate Initiative. They have three children from their marriage. In 2013, the couple started Quadrivium Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to resolve various social issues. They are also involved in numerous charitable endeavors and have donated money to the Clinton Foundation, a nonprofit organization run by the Clinton family.

Trivia

  • This businessman is a cycling enthusiast.
  • Murdoch has a black belt in karate.
  • This well-known business person once fell asleep while covering a press conference during his tenure as an intern in the Sydney Mirror!

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