Thomson's Harrington not new to dealmaking

TORONTO (Reuters) - With at least 35 deals done on his watch, the chief executive of electronic publisher Thomson Corp. TOC.TO TOC.N is no stranger to selling or buying assets.

Since his appointment in October 1997, Richard Harrington has overseen landmark deals such as Thomson's sale of its North American community newspaper assets for $2.5 billion in 2000 and the divestiture of its travel operations for $2 billion two years earlier.

Now, Harrington, a 60-year-old American, could be doing his biggest deal yet if Thomson is in fact the mystery suitor that has approached financial data and news company Reuters Group Plc RTRSY.O RTR.L with a takeover bid.

Paul Bradley, director of research at Fraser Mackenzie in Toronto, said Thomson is a "strategic-thinking" organization, which plans a long time ahead to position itself and is unlikely to move rapidly on any deal.

"You might infer from that he's not someone to rush into something, that any every move is well considered and well backed up and supported by analysis," Bradley said of Harrington.

The Thomson family, which holds 70 percent of the company's shares, has also been hands-off in its approach, Bradley said.

"They have completely delegated the management of the business to professional business managers," he said, referring to Harrington's team.

As well, the family also has a long-term business outlook since so much of their wealth is tied up in the company, he said.

"They are prepared to take their time to get from point A to point B."