Franz Paasche

About Franz Paasche

Franz Paasche is the Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Verizon, overseeing the company’s global communications, public policy, government relations and responsible business. Franz brings over three decades of leadership experience in public affairs, government relations, communications and corporate responsibility across both the private and public sectors. Before joining Verizon in November 2025, Franz was the principal and founder of PineGrove Advisors. Previously, he served as EVP of Public Affairs and Communications at Columbia University. For over 9 years, he was Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at PayPal, where he led global communications, public affairs, reputation management and social impact. Prior to that, he served as the Head of External Relations for North America at McKinsey & Company. Earlier in his career, Franz held key leadership roles in communications, reputation risk management and law, including serving as a Senior Partner at Fleishman Hillard, a Managing Director of Clark & Weinstock, the General Counsel of Market Data Corporation and a litigator at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind and Garrison. He began his career working on the legislative team of New York’s Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.A New Yorker, Franz is a graduate of Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He has a BA with high honors in political science, English literature, and American economic history from Swarthmore College.

Experience

1. Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs

   Verizon

   Nov 2025 — Present

   As EVP of Corporate Affairs at Verizon, Franz leads the company\'s global communications, public policy, government relations and responsible business. In this role, he is focused on elevating Verizon’s stakeholder engagement and connecting the company’s value proposition and purpose to the people and communities who count on Verizon — employees, customers, partners, policymakers and society.

Education

• Swarthmore College

  BA, Political Science, English, Economics

  1979 — 1983

• Columbia Law School

  JD

  1984 — 1987

Skills

• Copy Editing
• Nonprofits
• Policy Analysis
• Speech Writing
• Digital Marketing
• Press Releases
• Digital Media
• Corporate Communications
• Public Speaking
• Marketing Communications
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Investor Relations
• Reputation Management
• Communication Training
• Entrepreneurship
• Editing
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Politics
• Copywriting
• Cooling Water
• Strategic Communications
• Crisis Management
• Integrated Marketing
• Fundraising
• Marketing Strategy
• Management
• Strategic Planning
• Crisis Communications
• Management Consulting
• Dog Breeding
• Public Relations
• Internal Communications
• Media Relations
• Business Strategy
• Social Media
• International Relations
• Publishing
• Event Planning
• Thought Leadership
• Public Policy