OREANDA-NEWS. August 3, 2012. The Board of Directors of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) has elected John J. “Jack” Brennan as a GE director. Mr. Brennan is chairman emeritus and senior advisor at The Vanguard Group, Inc. He was elected by the GE Board at its meeting.

“Jack Brennan knows what shareholders care about and what good governance looks like,” said GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt. “As we continue to execute on our growth strategy in the midst of a still volatile global economy, I know that GE will benefit from Jack’s leadership, strong regulatory background and experience. I am honored to welcome Jack to our Board.”

Brennan is an independent director under the New York Stock Exchange listing standards and GE’s independence guidelines. Brennan’s election brings GE’s board to 18 members, 16 of whom are independent.

Vanguard is one of the world's largest investment companies. Brennan joined Vanguard in July 1982. He was elected president in 1989, served as chief executive officer from 1996 to 2008 and chairman of the board from 1998 to 2009. Brennan is Lead Governor of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Board of Governors and has served as the Chair of the Financial Accounting Foundation since 2009.

Brennan graduated from Dartmouth College and received a Master's degree in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School. He has received honorary degrees from Curry College and Drexel University.