{"success":true,"data":{"pressRelease":{"id":"139679","rtpr_id":"nPn1gDkm9a-20260909","ticker":"T","exchange":"NYSE","all_tickers":["T"],"title":"AT&T Elects Fazal F. Merchant to Board of Directors","author":"PR Newswire","published_at":"2026-09-09T20:30:00.032Z","article_body":"AT&T Elects Fazal F. Merchant to Board of Directors\n\nPR Newswire\n\nDALLAS, Sept. 9, 2026\n\nKey Takeaways:\n\n * Fazal F. Merchant joined the AT&T Board, effective Sept. 8.\n * Merchant will serve on the Audit Committee and the Corporate Development and\nFinance Committee.\nDALLAS, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4770616-1&h=3663047206&u=https%3A%2F%2Fabout.att.com%2F&a=AT%26T)\n (NYSE:T) elected Fazal F. Merchant to its board of directors, effective\nSept. 8. He will serve on the Audit Committee and the Corporate Development\nand Finance Committee.\n\nMerchant most recently served as President and Chief Financial Officer of Wiz,\nInc. – a leading cloud and AI security company. He previously was Co-Chief\nExecutive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of\nTanium Inc.\n\n\"Fazal is a great addition to our board, bringing deep expertise across\ncorporate development, finance and technology,\" said John Stankey, AT&T\nChairman and CEO. \"Fazal's experience scaling high-growth businesses and\nhelping companies navigate periods of transformation will be invaluable as we\ncontinue to evolve, invest for growth, and create long-term value for our\nshareholders.\"\n\nMerchant previously held senior leadership roles at DreamWorks Animation and\nDIRECTV, including Chief Financial Officer of DIRECTV Latin America. During\nhis tenure at both companies, he oversaw major strategic transactions.\nEarlier, he worked in investment banking at Barclays Capital and the Royal\nBank of Scotland. He began his career at Ford Motor Company.\n\nMerchant serves on the board of Warner Bros. Discovery and previously served\non the boards of Ariel Investments, Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. and\nMeritor, Inc. He also spent several years serving as a senior advisor to Sixth\nStreet Partners.\n\nMerchant holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of\nTexas at Austin and an MBA from Indiana University.\n\nTo automatically receive AT&T financial news by email, please subscribe\nto email alerts\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4770616-1&h=2173980094&u=https%3A%2F%2Finvestors.att.com%2Fresources%2Femail-alerts&a=subscribe+to+email+alerts)\n.\n\nAbout AT&T\nWe help more than 100 million U.S. families, friends and neighbors, plus\nnearly 2.5 million businesses, connect to greater possibility. From the first\nphone call 150 years ago to our 5G wireless and multi-gig internet offerings\ntoday, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. For more information about AT&T\nInc. (NYSE:T), please visit us at about.att.com\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4770616-1&h=3199799309&u=https%3A%2F%2Fabout.att.com%2F&a=about.att.com)\n. Investors can learn more at investors.att.com\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4770616-1&h=2037624243&u=https%3A%2F%2Finvestors.att.com%2F&a=investors.att.com)\n.\n\n© 2026 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T and the\nGlobe logo are registered trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property.\n\nView original content to download\nmultimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-elects-fazal-f-merchant-to-board-of-directors-302874273.html\n(https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-elects-fazal-f-merchant-to-board-of-directors-302874273.html)\n\nSOURCE AT&T\n\n\n\nAshley Hoptay, AT&T Corporate Communications, Phone: (469) 203-2327, Email: ashley.hoptay@att.com\n\nPhoto: \nhttps://mmx.prnewswire.com/media/MS594853/AT-T-Logo-V1.jpg?id=OA2939095\n\nCopyright (c) 2026 PR Newswire Association,LLC. All Rights Reserved.","article_body_html":"","raw_payload":{"data":{"id":"nPn1gDkm9a-20260909","title":"AT&T Elects Fazal F. Merchant to Board of Directors","author":"PR Newswire","ticker":"T","created":"2026-09-09T20:30:00.032Z","tickers":["T"],"exchange":"NYSE","article_body":"AT&T Elects Fazal F. Merchant to Board of Directors\n\nPR Newswire\n\nDALLAS, Sept. 9, 2026\n\nKey Takeaways:\n\n * Fazal F. Merchant joined the AT&T Board, effective Sept. 8.\n * Merchant will serve on the Audit Committee and the Corporate Development and\nFinance Committee.\nDALLAS, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4770616-1&h=3663047206&u=https%3A%2F%2Fabout.att.com%2F&a=AT%26T)\n (NYSE:T) elected Fazal F. Merchant to its board of directors, effective\nSept. 8. He will serve on the Audit Committee and the Corporate Development\nand Finance Committee.\n\nMerchant most recently served as President and Chief Financial Officer of Wiz,\nInc. – a leading cloud and AI security company. He previously was Co-Chief\nExecutive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of\nTanium Inc.\n\n\"Fazal is a great addition to our board, bringing deep expertise across\ncorporate development, finance and technology,\" said John Stankey, AT&T\nChairman and CEO. \"Fazal's experience scaling high-growth businesses and\nhelping companies navigate periods of transformation will be invaluable as we\ncontinue to evolve, invest for growth, and create long-term value for our\nshareholders.\"\n\nMerchant previously held senior leadership roles at DreamWorks Animation and\nDIRECTV, including Chief Financial Officer of DIRECTV Latin America. During\nhis tenure at both companies, he oversaw major strategic transactions.\nEarlier, he worked in investment banking at Barclays Capital and the Royal\nBank of Scotland. He began his career at Ford Motor Company.\n\nMerchant serves on the board of Warner Bros. Discovery and previously served\non the boards of Ariel Investments, Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. and\nMeritor, Inc. He also spent several years serving as a senior advisor to Sixth\nStreet Partners.\n\nMerchant holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of\nTexas at Austin and an MBA from Indiana University.\n\nTo automatically receive AT&T financial news by email, please subscribe\nto email alerts\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4770616-1&h=2173980094&u=https%3A%2F%2Finvestors.att.com%2Fresources%2Femail-alerts&a=subscribe+to+email+alerts)\n.\n\nAbout AT&T\nWe help more than 100 million U.S. families, friends and neighbors, plus\nnearly 2.5 million businesses, connect to greater possibility. From the first\nphone call 150 years ago to our 5G wireless and multi-gig internet offerings\ntoday, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. For more information about AT&T\nInc. (NYSE:T), please visit us at about.att.com\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4770616-1&h=3199799309&u=https%3A%2F%2Fabout.att.com%2F&a=about.att.com)\n. Investors can learn more at investors.att.com\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4770616-1&h=2037624243&u=https%3A%2F%2Finvestors.att.com%2F&a=investors.att.com)\n.\n\n© 2026 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T and the\nGlobe logo are registered trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property.\n\nView original content to download\nmultimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-elects-fazal-f-merchant-to-board-of-directors-302874273.html\n(https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-elects-fazal-f-merchant-to-board-of-directors-302874273.html)\n\nSOURCE AT&T\n\n\n\nAshley Hoptay, AT&T Corporate Communications, Phone: (469) 203-2327, Email: ashley.hoptay@att.com\n\nPhoto: \nhttps://mmx.prnewswire.com/media/MS594853/AT-T-Logo-V1.jpg?id=OA2939095\n\nCopyright (c) 2026 PR Newswire Association,LLC. All Rights Reserved."},"type":"article","timestamp":"2026-09-09T20:30:00.067261372Z","server_sent_at_ms":1788985800067},"received_at":"2026-09-09T20:30:00.152Z","source_url":"https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-elects-fazal-f-merchant-to-board-of-directors-302874273.html"},"analysis":{"id":"128523","press_release_id":"139679","analysis_json":{"industry":{"label":"Diversified Telecommunication Services","sector":"Communication Services"},"redFlags":[],"eventType":"board_change","narrative":"AT&T elected Fazal F. Merchant to its board of directors effective Sept. 8, 2026, assigning him to the Audit Committee and the Corporate Development and Finance Committee.\n\nMerchant most recently served as President and CFO of cloud and AI security firm Wiz, and previously was Co-CEO, COO and CFO of Tanium, with earlier senior roles at DreamWorks Animation and DIRECTV, including CFO of DIRECTV Latin America.\n\nHe currently sits on the Warner Bros. Discovery board, previously directed Ariel Investments, Ryman Hospitality Properties and Meritor, and began his career at Ford before investment banking stints at Barclays Capital and Royal Bank of Scotland.\n\nChairman and CEO John Stankey cited Merchant's expertise in corporate development, finance and technology as valuable as AT&T invests for growth — a routine governance addition rather than a strategic shift.","sentiment":"neutral","agentHooks":{"shouldPost":false,"suggestedAngle":"Routine board addition at AT&T — new director brings Wiz/AI-security and telecom finance credentials to the Audit and Corp Dev & Finance committees; no strategic signal."},"keyFigures":{},"quotedText":"Fazal is a great addition to our board, bringing deep expertise across\ncorporate development, finance and technology","namedEntities":{"people":[{"name":"Fazal F. Merchant","role":"Newly elected AT&T director; Audit Committee and Corporate Development and Finance Committee member"},{"name":"John Stankey","role":"AT&T Chairman and CEO"},{"name":"Ashley Hoptay","role":"AT&T Corporate Communications (media contact)"}],"products":[],"companies":[{"name":"AT&T Inc.","ticker":"T","relationship":"filer / issuer electing new director"},{"name":"Wiz, Inc.","relationship":"new director's most recent employer (President and CFO)"},{"name":"Tanium Inc.","relationship":"new director's former employer (Co-CEO, COO and CFO)"},{"name":"Warner Bros. Discovery","ticker":"WBD","relationship":"Merchant currently serves on its board of directors"},{"name":"DIRECTV","relationship":"new director's former employer (CFO of DIRECTV Latin America)"},{"name":"DreamWorks Animation","relationship":"new director's former employer (senior leadership)"},{"name":"Barclays Capital","relationship":"new director's former employer (investment banking)"},{"name":"Royal Bank of Scotland","relationship":"new director's former employer (investment banking)"},{"name":"Ford Motor Company","relationship":"new director's first employer"},{"name":"Sixth Street Partners","relationship":"new director's former senior advisory role"},{"name":"Ariel Investments","relationship":"new director's prior board seat"},{"name":"Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc.","relationship":"new director's prior board seat"},{"name":"Meritor, Inc.","relationship":"new director's prior board seat"}],"dollarAmounts":[]},"materialImpact":{"score":2,"reasoning":"Routine single-director election with no strategic, financial, or operational change disclosed. Mildly notable that the new director brings cloud/AI security (Wiz) and telecom finance (DIRECTV) credentials to the Audit and Corporate Development & Finance committees."},"tickerRelevance":{"others":[{"ticker":"WBD","relevance":"board interlock — newly elected AT&T director Fazal Merchant sits on Warner Bros. Discovery's board"}],"primary":"T"},"globalImportance":20,"audienceRelevance":32,"eventTypeSecondary":[],"importanceComponents":{"tickerTier":"mega-cap / S&P 100 household name","eventGravity":"routine single-director board election","directorBackground":"cloud/AI security (Wiz), enterprise software (Tanium), telecom/media finance (DIRECTV, DreamWorks)","householdBrandBoost":true,"marketCapAdjustment":"mega-cap issuer but boilerplate governance event caps gravity","committeeAssignments":"Audit; Corporate Development and Finance"}},"event_type":"board_change","event_type_secondary":null,"sentiment":"neutral","material_impact_score":2,"narrative":"AT&T elected Fazal F. Merchant to its board of directors effective Sept. 8, 2026, assigning him to the Audit Committee and the Corporate Development and Finance Committee.\n\nMerchant most recently served as President and CFO of cloud and AI security firm Wiz, and previously was Co-CEO, COO and CFO of Tanium, with earlier senior roles at DreamWorks Animation and DIRECTV, including CFO of DIRECTV Latin America.\n\nHe currently sits on the Warner Bros. Discovery board, previously directed Ariel Investments, Ryman Hospitality Properties and Meritor, and began his career at Ford before investment banking stints at Barclays Capital and Royal Bank of Scotland.\n\nChairman and CEO John Stankey cited Merchant's expertise in corporate development, finance and technology as valuable as AT&T invests for growth — a routine governance addition rather than a strategic shift.","key_figures":{},"named_entities":{"people":[{"name":"Fazal F. Merchant","role":"Newly elected AT&T director; Audit Committee and Corporate Development and Finance Committee member"},{"name":"John Stankey","role":"AT&T Chairman and CEO"},{"name":"Ashley Hoptay","role":"AT&T Corporate Communications (media contact)"}],"products":[],"companies":[{"name":"AT&T Inc.","ticker":"T","relationship":"filer / issuer electing new director"},{"name":"Wiz, Inc.","relationship":"new director's most recent employer (President and CFO)"},{"name":"Tanium Inc.","relationship":"new director's former employer (Co-CEO, COO and CFO)"},{"name":"Warner Bros. Discovery","ticker":"WBD","relationship":"Merchant currently serves on its board of directors"},{"name":"DIRECTV","relationship":"new director's former employer (CFO of DIRECTV Latin America)"},{"name":"DreamWorks Animation","relationship":"new director's former employer (senior leadership)"},{"name":"Barclays Capital","relationship":"new director's former employer (investment banking)"},{"name":"Royal Bank of Scotland","relationship":"new director's former employer (investment banking)"},{"name":"Ford Motor Company","relationship":"new director's first employer"},{"name":"Sixth Street Partners","relationship":"new director's former senior advisory role"},{"name":"Ariel Investments","relationship":"new director's prior board seat"},{"name":"Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc.","relationship":"new director's prior board seat"},{"name":"Meritor, Inc.","relationship":"new director's prior board seat"}],"dollarAmounts":[]},"model_name":"glm-5.3-flash","prompt_hash":"sha256:727b4b9429a443af","schema_hash":"sha256:05005c02d9cffac9","created_at":"2026-09-09T20:30:44.825Z","global_importance":20,"audience_relevance":32,"importance_components":{"tickerTier":"mega-cap / S&P 100 household name","eventGravity":"routine single-director board election","directorBackground":"cloud/AI security (Wiz), enterprise software (Tanium), telecom/media finance (DIRECTV, DreamWorks)","householdBrandBoost":true,"marketCapAdjustment":"mega-cap issuer but boilerplate governance event caps gravity","committeeAssignments":"Audit; Corporate Development and Finance"}},"durationMs":44666,"modelName":"glm-5.3-flash"}}