More C-level shuffle at the Big Red

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

December 7, 2010

2 Min Read
VZW CTO Moves Up to Verizon Communications

Verizon Wireless CTO Tony Melone is taking over as the technology chief of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), as the C-level chairs at the operator get shuffled around.

Melone is fresh off heading up the launch of Verizon Wireless's Long Term Evolution (LTE) launch in 38 cities in the US. The service, which Verizon is marketing as "4G," initially launched this Sunday.

"In his new assignment, Tony has responsibility for finding new ways of integrating and utilizing all our networks, improving the customer experience, and streamlining our current technologies and those now in the pipeline," Verizon COO Lowell McAdam said in a statement. (See Melone Takes Over as Verizon CTO.) Verizon says Melone will take over from Shaygan Kheradpir immediately, following Kheradpir's announcement that he plans to leave Verizon and move to London where he will join Barclays Global Retail Banking (GRB) as its COO in 2011. Former CIO Kheradpir was named as executive vice president and chief technology officer in October. Former Verizon CTO Dick Lynch is still involved with the operator, according to a company spokesman. "Dick is still with Verizon as executive VP and is very involved on multiple fronts with tech capital deployment and network strategy," says the spokesman in an email reply to questions.

David Small, previously the president of the Verizon Wireless Northeast Area, has been named CTO of Verizon Wireless.

Why this matters
With McAdam taking over as COO and president at Verizon Communications, effectively replacing Ivan Seidenberg, a number of other C-level shuffles are happening. In addition to Melone, Roger Gurnani took over from Kheradpir in October. Francis Shammo, former president of Verizon Telecom and Business, became Verizon's CFO in November, as the incumbent, John Killian, retired.

For more
See more on Verizon's executive moves:

  • Verizon Lines Up Seidenberg's Successor

  • Verizon Names Prez Global Enterprise

  • Verizon Restructures

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile

About the Author(s)

Dan Jones

Mobile Editor

Dan is to hats what Will.I.Am is to ridiculous eyewear. Fedora, trilby, tam-o-shanter -- all have graced the Jones pate during his career as the go-to purveyor of mobile essentials.

But hey, Dan is so much more than 4G maps and state-of-the-art headgear. Before joining the Light Reading team in 2002 he was an award-winning cult hit on Broadway (with four 'Toni' awards, two 'Emma' gongs and a 'Brian' to his name) with his one-man show, "Dan Sings the Show Tunes."

His perfectly crafted blogs, falling under the "Jonestown" banner, have been compared to the works of Chekhov. But only by Dan.

He lives in Brooklyn with cats.

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