United States Cellular Corp. appointed Paul Henri Denuit to a special committee of the board of directors that will consider how the company should respond to a proposal from its parent organization, Telephone and Data Systems Inc. He has been on the board of directors since 1988, the board’s audit committee since 1992 and has served on other committees. The proposal is an offer by TDS to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common stock of U.S. Cellular it doesn’t already own, pursuant to a merger between U.S. Cellular and a TDS subsidiary.
Thomas Butler was named chief executive officer of Mobile Systems International, which provides consulting services and software systems for the design of wireless networks. Butler joins MSI most recently from Origin B.V., a Philips Electronics subsidiary based in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, where he was chief executive officer. Butler will be responsible for the development of MSI’s global organization, including strategy, marketing, sales, technology, human resources and operational policy.
Paging Network Inc. named Mark A. Knickrehm executive vice president and chief financial officer. Knickrehm replaces Kenneth Sanders, who left the company in the executive management shake-up at PageNet last year. Knickrehm previously was a partner with the international consulting firm of McKinsey & Co. He led the McKinsey team PageNet hired last October-after John Frazee took the helm as president and chief executive officer-to review its organization.
PageNet also announced that Kyle J. Denzel joined the company in a newly created position, vice president of sports information services. Denzel will be responsible for developing PageNet’s relationships with providers of sports-oriented information services. Denzel joined PageNet from Host Communications Inc./USA Collegiate L.P. where he was regional vice president, responsible for negotiating and managing a multimedia rights holders agreement with the University of Michigan Athletic Department.
Sony Electronics’ Wireless Telecommunications Co. has hired Scott Westover as vice president of marketing services. Most recently the director of marketing communications at Iomega Corp. in Roy, Utah, Westover will be responsible for integrated marketing communications related to Sony’s complete line of wireless handsets and pagers. Westover previously held positions with Sony Electronics, working with both the consumer A/V and broadcast and professional products divisions in the company’s headquarters in New Jersey.
Global Mobility Systems has appointed Jay Maguire vice president of professional services. A former director of business services for Electronic Data Systems, Maguire brings 15 years of business development and consulting experience with high technology and communications clients. In his new position, he will be responsible for building a professional services team that will provide carriers with hands-on management experience to develop profitable market and business strategies. Global Mobility is a new company based in Bellevue, Wash., that develops client-server software for the wireless and mobile computing industries and provides business and technology consulting services for wireless carriers.
Bell Atlantic Mobile named Robert Stott president of its Northeast market to succeed Jack Plating, who was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer of the company. Stott spent the last year as president of the Philadelphia tri-state region. He now will be responsible for the company’s operations in the upstate New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont markets. Stott began his career in communications at Nynex Corp.’s New England Telephone Co. in 1966, and joined Nynex Mobile Communications Co. in July 1986 as the general manager of engineering and operations in New England. In September 1983, Stott was named vice president of the New York Metro region for the Bell Atlantic/Nynex Mobile partnership.
John Stratton will Fill Stott’s position as president of the Philadelphia tri-state region. Stratton has served as vice president of marketing for Bell Atlantic Mobile and regional vice president of retail sales and operations for the company’s largest market, the New York/New Jersey metro region, since 1995. In his new position, Stratton will manage the company’s operations throughout Philadelphia and its suburbs, the Lehigh Valley, southern New Jersey and the state of Delaware. Prior to joining Bell Atlantic Mobile in 1993, Stratton was vice president of merchandising for Jersey Camera and held various management positions within major consumer electronics retailers.
