Hans Vestberg joins Verizon to lead network and technology team
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Hans Vestberg joins Verizon to lead network and technology team

Former Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg has today joined Verizon as part of senior leadership reshuffle plans to accelerate the delivery of next-generation services.

To better serve rapidly changing customer needs and accelerate the deployment of next-generation technology, Verizon has announced a new operating structure in three areas. The other two areas sees Marni Walden appointed to lead media and telematics, and John Stratton to lead customer and product operations.

A Verizon release has outlined the following details of the appointments:

Network and Technology

Vestberg, who served for six years as CEO of Ericsson, will lead a US-based team responsible for further developing the architecture for Verizon’s fibre-centric networks. Network and Technology will focus on delivering seamless network experiences for customers, whether on Wifi, fibre, 4G, 5G or future technologies. 

Verizon’s network assets consist of the country’s leading 4G LTE network, the largest 5G test-bed in the US, the nation’s biggest residential fibre network, a global internet backbone and undersea cable network carrying much of the world’s internet traffic, and – with the recent acquisition of XO Communications – fibre assets in 45 of the top 50 markets in the U.S.

As part of this structure, effective 3 April, the company has hired Hans Vestberg, former CEO of Ericsson, as executive vice president for Verizon’s new network and technology team. Vestberg will report to Verizon chairman and CEO Lowell McAdam and will lead an organisation responsible for further developing the architecture of Verizon’s fibre-centric networks. He will initially be based in Sweden, and is expected to join the US-based team later this Spring.

Media and Telematics

Media and Telematics will focus on integrating, scaling and growing Verizon’s portfolio of new businesses in digital media and telematics. Walden will be responsible for quickly scaling these businesses into major contributors to Verizon’s future growth.  

The combination of AOL with the assets of Yahoo will give Verizon more than 1.3 billion digital media users and generate $7 billion in revenue. Walden’s team will be responsible for integrating these businesses and building brand and market share in this growing market. 

In addition, Walden will continue to lead Verizon’s integration and expansion of its telematics (connected car and fleet management) portfolio. Through acquisitions of Hughes Telematics, Fleetmatics and Telogis, Verizon is already the world’s leading telematics provider, with customers in 30 countries around the globe.

Customer and product operations

Continuing to report to McAdam will be Marni Walden as executive vice president for media and telematics, and John Stratton as executive vice president for customer and product operations.

“This new structure is designed to accelerate our progress toward delivering the promise of the digital world to customers,” said McAdam. It will give us greater organizational agility to continue to lead the market with our wireless and fibre services, scale and expand our media and telematics businesses, and maintain the leadership in network reliability and new technology that is a Verizon trademark.”

The customer and product Operations team will focus on operating and growing Verizon’s established businesses, which include: Verizon Wireless, Verizon Enterprise Solutions, Verizon Partner Solutions, Verizon Consumer Markets and Verizon Business Markets. These businesses generate more than $120 billion in annual revenue and serve more than 120 million customers.

Stratton will focus on growing these core businesses, while accelerating Verizon’s shift toward a digital-first model. Stratton will also lead operations and sales for the Internet of Things products and services, including smart communities.





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