Bob Wright

For other people named Bob Wright, see Bob Wright (disambiguation).

Bob Wright
Wright in 2015
Born (1943-04-23) April 23, 1943 (age 81)
Hempstead, New York, U.S.
Alma materCollege of the Holy Cross (BA)
University of Virginia (LLB)
Occupations
  • Lawyer
  • businessman
  • author
Known for
Board member ofPolo Ralph Lauren[1]
AMC Networks[2]
New York-Presbyterian Hospital (life trustee)[3]
Palm Beach Civic Association (Chairman and CEO)[4]
Spouses
Suzanne Wright
​
​
(m. 1967; died 2016)​
Susan Keenan Wright
​
(m. 2017)​
Children3[5]

Robert Charles Wright (born April 23, 1943) is an American lawyer, businessman, lobbyist, and author. He is a former NBC executive, having served as president and CEO from 1986 to 2001, and chairman and CEO from 2001[6] until he retired in 2007.[7] He has been credited with overseeing the broadcast network's expansion into a media conglomerate and leading the company to record earnings in the 1990s.[8] Prior to NBC, he held several posts at General Electric in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. He served as President and CEO of GE Capital, GE Financial Services 1983 to 1986 and served as GE's vice chairman until he retired from that role in 2008.[9]

In 2005, Wright and his wife, Suzanne Wright, founded Autism Speaks.[10] In 2016, after his wife's death from pancreatic cancer, Wright established the Suzanne Wright Foundation, which funds research for pancreatic cancer.[11] Through the Suzanne Wright Foundation, he led the initiative to establish a Health Advanced Research Projects Agency, or HARPA, a government research agency modeled after the U.S. Department of Defense's DARPA.[12] On March 15, 2022, Public Law 117-103 was enacted authorizing the establishment of ARPA-H within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.[13]

  1. ^ "Ralph Lauren Corp. (RL)". Reuters. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  2. ^ "AMC Networks Inc. (AMCX)". Reuters. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  3. ^ "Life Trustees at New York-Presbyterian Hospital". New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  4. ^ "Directors and members". Palm Beach Civic Association. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference HolyCross was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ensher11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lowry13 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gunther97 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference BloombergProfile was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference McKenna14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Grieving Husband Launches Foundation to Fight Pancreatic Cancer in Honor of His Late Wife". People. November 16, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  12. ^ "About". HARPA. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  13. ^ "ARPA-H". National Institutes of Health (NIH). Retrieved May 9, 2023.