COMSTREAM
John F. Hodgson joined ComStream Corp. as vice president of human resources. Before ComStream, Hodgson held the same position with NextWave Telecom, San Diego, and prior to that with General Communications Inc., Anchorage, Alaska. He also has been the director of human resources for Nextel, Denver, as well as for BellSouth Cellular and American Cellular Communications.
VODAFONE
Sir Gerald Whent CBE, deputy chairman of Vodafone Group plc, plans to retire at the company’s annual general meeting scheduled tomorrow. Whent was the chief executive of the company from October 1988 until the end of 1996 when he took up his present role. It was at his instigation that Vodafone’s original parent company, Racal Electronics plc, applied for a U.K. cellular license in 1983. Whent also initiated the company’s bids for cellular licenses in other countries.
ARRAYCOMM
ArrayComm Inc. named Ambassador Diana Lady Dougan to its board of directors. Dougan has held senior policy and management positions in both industry and government for more than 30 years, including appointments by both Democratic and Republican presidents in Senate-confirmed positions. Dougan is the chairwoman of International Communications Studies at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, and also co-chairs the governing board of the Center for Information Infrastructure and Economic Development, based in Beijing. Dougan spearheaded international negotiations involving telecommunications, broadcast and information technology services on behalf of 14 federal agencies from 1982 to 1988, and served administratively as assistant secretary of state. She holds the permanent rank of ambassador.
DSP
DSP Communications Inc. named its executive vice president, Joseph Perl-who also is president of DSP subsidiary DSPC Israel Ltd.-the new president, chief executive officer and director of the company. Perl, who joined the company in July 1990, succeeds Nathan Hod, who will remain an active chairman of the board of directors, said DSP. Perl became vice president of engineering and chief technical officer in May 1993, and advanced to his current positions in 1996. Perl led the development and management DSP’s chipset business, and was key in developing a range of multistandard chipset products and bringing them to high levels of volume production.
BELL ATLANTIC MOBILE
Jerald M. Fountain was named vice president of Bell Atlantic Mobile’s southeast region. In his new position, Fountain will be responsible for the wireless network retail stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. He will supervise more than 725 employees in the region. Prior to his new appointment, Fountain served as regional vice president of BAM’s Pittsburgh market since 1992. He began his telecom career as a sales associate for Motorola Inc. in 1978. After that, he was the Washington, D.C., sales manager for Metromedia Paging Services.
NEXUS
Anticipating expansion of the company following its merger with Aptel Ltd., Nexus Telocation Systems Ltd. named its chairman, Yaron Sheinman, to replace Amnon Shefi as president and chief executive officer. Sheinman will continue in his role as chairman. Shefi, who led the company for three years, will continue as director of Nexus.
SPRINT PCS
Sprint Spectrum L.P. appointed Dave Stevens president of its western region. Stevens replaces Dave McGlade, who started his own company to pursue affiliation and resale opportunities with Sprint PCS. In his new position, Stevens will oversee the operation, implementation, sales and marketing of Sprint PCS service in the 10-state West Region. Prior to his new appointment, Stevens was the Northern California/Nevada area vice president, during which time he was responsible for Sprint PCS launches in several markets, including the San Francisco Bay area. Before joining Sprint, Stevens served as vice president of sales and marketing as well as executive vice president of operations for L.A. Cellular.
ERICSSON
Bjorn Kirchdorfer is the new vice president of sales and marketing for Ericsson Inc.’s Wireless Communications Division. He formerly was vice president and business manager of competitive access providers for Ericsson’s Network Systems Division. In his new position, Kirchdorfer will be responsible for developing new sales opportunities and driving new Ericsson products, services and solutions into existing and new markets. Kirchdorfer was sales director for switching, transmission and application software at Lucent Technologies Inc. before joining Ericsson in mid-1997.
PRICE
Price Communications Wireless Inc. appointed three new market general managers and a new assistant general manager. Sandra B. Matthews was named GM of the company’s Columbus, Ga., metropolitan statistical area market. Collins W. Helms now heads up Price’s Dothan, Ala., MSA, and Eleanor K. Hollis was appointed GM of the Georgia 13 rural service area market.
Matthews has more than 12 years of experience, most recently as the company’s Columbus Superstore manager. In her new position, she will have overall responsibility for the MSA market with 300,000 pops, which includes the Georgia counties of Russell, Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Meriwether, Harris, Talbot and Taylor.
Helms has more than 16 years of experience, most recently as the Dothan Superstore manager. The Dothan market covers 140,000 pops in the Alabama counties of Dale and Houston. Hollis has more than 20 years of experience, most recently as the Bainbridge store manager. The Georgia 13 RSA covers 150,000 pops in Bainbridge and Thomasville.
Jan Ogletree was appointed the assistant general manager of the Georgia 13 RSA. Ogletree previously spent seven years at Cellular One, most recently as the store manager in Thomasville, Ga.
