Women Worth Watching 2015

Cindi Hook

Why Comcast’s SVP Has Been Called “One of the Most Powerful Women in Cable”

 

web comcast_hookCindi Hook, Senior Vice President, General Auditor, and Global Risk Officer for Comcast Corporation, leads the Comcast Assurance and Advisory Team (CAAT), including all internal audit staff, risk management, and the performance of financial, operational, and systems audits. Additionally, she leads the company’s governance on enterprise-wide cyber, data, and security risks, evaluating many of the company’s processes and systems from a financial, operational, and regulatory perspective.

Since joining Comcast in 2010, Cindi has had an enormous impact. One key contribution involved transforming the company’s internal audit’s engagement model to include both assurance and advisory work. She also designed, developed, and implemented NBCUniversal’s internal audit function upon the closing of the Comcast and General Electric joint venture in 2011.

“…I learned to be bold and to drive change.”

Cindi founded, and serves as executive sponsor for, several company-wide professional development programs, including the Financial Management Leadership Program (FMLP), Career Opportunities and Rotational Experience (CORE) Finance Program, and the Finance and Accounting Intern Program. She also serves as executive sponsor of Comcast’s Young Professionals Network.

Prior to joining Comcast, Cindi spent more than a decade at Dell, Inc., eight years in a variety of finance and IT roles at Hewlett Packard, and two years at Price Waterhouse.

“I left Dell after more than 12 years and left the “high tech” industry after 20 years to join Comcast,” said Cindi. “I learned that I can adapt and learn quickly. I also learned to be bold and to drive change. It can be easier to drive change in a new environment because you don’t really know where all the “land mines” are and, therefore, you aren’t as afraid of where to step.”

Outside Comcast, Cindi is a member of the National Advisory Council for Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management, an Advisory Board member for America’s Freedom Festival, and a trustee of the University of Philadelphia. In 2013 and 2014, she was recognized as one of CableFAX’s Most Powerful Women in Cable.

Cindi holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting, graduating magna cum laude, and an MBA in finance from Brigham Young University. The mother of four divides her time between Philadelphia and Salt Lake City so she can spend time with her family.

Education: BA in Accounting, MBA in Finance, Brigham Young University

Words I Live By: “A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for,” and “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”

The most important quality a rising business woman should have is…

…confidence, including the confidence to ask good questions. To be decisive, even knowing you might fail.

The career advice I’d give my former self:

Be more confident and speak up earlier.

The one thing I’d do differently in my career, knowing what I know now, is…

…I would have gone after an international assignment earlier. I’ve traveled a lot internationally but have never done an actual full-time international assignment. It is something I’ve always wanted to do and now it is much harder that I am further into my career. However, I haven’t completely given up hope!

When I really need to focus on a project, I…

… step away from the distractions and will go to a place where I can be alone and concentrate. Sometimes I take a break and do something to break up the intensity for a few minutes – like go for a walk or grab a drink or a snack.

My biggest career leap (and what I learned from it) was…

…I left Dell after more than 12 years and left the “high tech” industry after 20 years to join Comcast. I learned that I can adapt and learn quickly. I also learned to be bold and to drive change. It can be easier to drive change in a new environment because you don’t really know where all the “land mines” are and, therefore, you aren’t as afraid of where to step.

Being a woman in my profession has been…

…rewarding. I have been encouraged to grow and adapt, yet still be myself. I’ve worked with so many great people and have had mentors in my profession of different gender, race, religion, background, etc. and it has been very rewarding to learn from so many different sources.

I’ve learned that failure is…

…a sign that you are still alive and should only be feared if you are totally unprepared (and even then, you are likely to learn something).

I maintain a healthy personal life by…

…circuit training, running, eating healthy and indulging in ice cream. I stay active in my faith, make time to help others, socialize and laugh with my family and friends. I’m also working through my bucket list and recently checked skydiving off the list!

I knew my present career was what I wanted to do when…

…I realized how many diverse experiences I could have while leading a team, growing personally and developing others all at the same time. Every day is different – some days are better than others – but generally the personal dividends are huge and bigger than I anticipated.