In his new role, Ward will lead the development and integration of Lumen's global network and the technologies the company is deploying to expand its network.
He will report directly to Kate Johnson, CEO of Lumen and serve as a member of its executive team.
"Dave is a pioneer in networking technology and his experience will be a critical asset for Lumen," said Johnson.
"Throughout his impressive career, he has built network architectures that have advanced the capabilities of the Internet, with a focus on delivering significant customer value. In particular, Dave's deep knowledge of Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) technology will accelerate Lumen's NaaS platform as we disrupt the telecom industry with new digital experiences for enterprise customers."
Prior to his appointment, Ward worked for PacketFabric, where he was the chairman and CEO.
Under his leadership, the company expanded its portfolio and customer base, and grew its network positioning it as one of the largest fully automated network providers globally.
During his tenure, he also scaled the company's technology to connect customers to a vast ecosystem of cloud service providers and data centres, while simplifying their network connectivity.
Before working at PacketFabric, he was a senior vice president, CTO-Engineering and chief architect at Cisco Systems, and served as a fellow at both Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks.
"My entire career has been committed to inventing the capabilities and improving the experience of the Internet," said Ward.
"Lumen's unmatched network and innovative technologies will help drive that reinvention for businesses and I'm looking forward to joining this impressive team, and great culture, and helping the company deliver new capabilities that will give its customers unparalleled simplicity and connectivity."
