Sampath (pictured) has been chief revenue officer of Verizon Business since last year, after a spell as president of the company’s global enterprise unit.
Vestberg said: “Sampath brings more than two decades of experience in digital transformation and critical network infrastructure on behalf of business customers to his new role at Verizon, plus extensive knowledge of products and their role in powering enterprise growth and global security.”
Sampath said: “I come to this role from a very diverse background, a mindset to constantly learn and a mission to lead with kindness and integrity during this critical moment of radical digitization for our customers.”
He added: “The Verizon Business team is absolutely the best in the business and I am committed to ensuring we continue to build on the momentum and success we have shared together thus far. The time is now to disrupt the industry and stay laser focused on transformational outcomes for our customers and how Verizon serves their needs.”
Erwin also paid tribute to her successor: “Verizon’s customers have been central to our work, day in and day out. That spirit is the very foundation of our company. There is no one better positioned than Sowmyanarayan Sampath to carry that onward and leverage our incredible assets to deliver for our customers.”
Sampath takes over the role in July, but Erwin said last month that she will stay with Verizon until the end of the year, as a strategic advisor to Vestberg.
Vestberg said of Erwin: “In her 35 years with Verizon and its predecessor companies, Tami has been a trailblazer who has led mission critical initiatives across all areas of our company, from wireless, to wireline, to enterprise.”
Erwin said of her successor: “As he takes the helm as CEO of Verizon Business next month, I have the utmost confidence that he will capitalize on the momentum we’ve built together to drive transformational outcomes for businesses around the globe.”