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.