Brian Hinman Joins Verizon as Vice President of Intellectual Property Strategy

NEW YORK - Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) today announced that Brian Hinman is joining the company as vice president - intellectual property strategy.

Effective Sept. 1, Hinman will be responsible for leading the intellectual property strategy for the corporation, including both its Verizon Telecom and Verizon Wireless business groups.

Dick Lynch, Verizon’s chief technology officer, said, “Intellectual property has never been more important to the success of high-tech companies than it is today. Verizon is fortunate to have a significant and growing portfolio of valuable IPR [intellectual property rights]. We believe that Brian brings the expertise to maximize the impact of our IPR on Verizon’s success.”

Prior to joining Verizon, Hinman was chief executive officer of Allied Security Trust (AST), a Poughkeepsie, N.Y.-based trust formed by several high-technology companies to obtain cost-effective patent licenses. He was CEO during the startup phase of the trust, formed in 2007, and before that he spent more than 20 years in senior executive positions in the field of intellectual property at large operating companies, including IBM and Westinghouse.

Hinman holds Bachelor of Science degrees in business, marketing and economics from University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.