Hughes Announces Executive Appointments

Bruce Churchill, Larry Hunter and Romulo Pontual were appointed as executive vice presidents of Hughes Electronics Corp.

Churchill joins the company as chief financial officer and comes from STAR, News Corp.'s Asian satellite television and multi-media service for which he served as president and chief operating officer. In his new position, he will oversee financial operations and work with President and CEO Chase Carey in executing strategic planning. Additionally, he will oversee the operations of DirecTV Latin America, scheduled to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this quarter. Churchill also was elected to the Board of Directors of PanAmSat Corp., which is 81 percent owned by Hughes.

Hunter has been with the company since 1993, and will continue to serve as general counsel overseeing Hughes' legal strategy and regulatory affairs.

Pontual joins Hughes from News Corp. where he served as executive vice president for Television Platforms, and will oversee technology and strategic initiatives for Hughes' satellite platforms.

Pat Doyle, who has been with Hughes since 1992, also was promoted to senior vice president, controller, treasurer and chief accounting officer.