Stephen A. Burch

Stephen Burch is considered one of the world’s top leaders in the field of cable TV, Internet and telephone communications.

Burch served as president and CEO of Virgin Media, an $8 billion cable and cellular phone company created by the merger of Ntl, Telewest and Virgin Mobile. Under his direction, Virgin Media operated five cable television networks, one national off-air network and, in joint partnership with the BBC, 11 other cable television networks. In addition, he revamped the management structure and operating performance of the organization and generated an increase run rate of more than $250 million dollars in cash flow and capital savings.

Prior to working at Virgin Media, Burch held various executive-level positions at Comcast Cable Communications from 1990 to 2005. In his final seven years at Comcast, he was president of the Atlantic Division, overseeing cable properties in a dozen states, including Maryland and Virginia. His division served nearly 4 million customers and generated $4 billion in revenue. Earlier in his career, Burch was vice president and general manager at Times Mirror in Phoenix, Arizona, and general manager at Storer, Viacom and Cox Cable companies.

Burch is currently chair of the Board of Directors of the University of Maryland Hospital Systems, a $2 billion dollar enterprise employing 3,000 doctors and more than 11,000 total personnel and serving nine hospitals throughout the state of Maryland. He has also served on numerous boards for corporate, academic and non-profit organizations, including the Baltimore County School Board, Maryland Higher Education Commission, University of Maryland Law School, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Museum of Arts and First Mariner Bank.

Burch is a member of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame. He earned a BA in English from the University of Maryland and a JD from Gonzaga University School of Law. He also received Honors PhDs in Humanities and Public Service from Towson University.