GroupServe
GroupServe announced Tom Stroup, president, will also take on the role of chief executive officer. Stroup’s first task as CEO will be to oversee the commercial product launch of GroupPort. Stroup will also oversee the company’s business development, strategic alliance and product development efforts. Before joining GroupServe, Stroup was president and CEO of P-Com Network Services Inc., president and CEO of Columbia Spectrum Management and president of the Personal Communications Industry Association. GroupServe’s former CEO, Andrew Roscoe, will stay on as the executive director.
Motorola Inc.
Timothy Cawley has been appointed corporate vice president and general manager of Motorola’s Personal Communications Sector’s North American Region. Cawley, formerly the president of SBC Communications Inc./Europe, will now be responsible for developing and executing the go-to-market strategy for Motorola’s communications products and services. He also will work to enhance customer relationships, cultivate business opportunities, deliver products and oversee all profit and loss responsibility for his region. Motorola also recently announced that Yuval Bloch has been named president and general manager of the Invisix Motorola-Cisco Systems Joint Venture.
TWS International Inc.
TWS International Inc., which provides professional technical consulting services to the telecommunications industry, announced several appointments reflecting organizational changes. TWS recently promoted Jeff Green to president and chief executive officer. Since 1999, Green has served as TWS’ chief financial officer, helping to raise capital for TWS and its subsidiaries. Prior to beginning his career with TWS, Green was employed by Palmer Wireless Inc., Forsch Corp. and Arthur Andersen & Co. Other TWS appointments that reflect organizational changes include: Suzanne Smith to regional vice president for North America, Keith Jones to regional vice president for CALA, Reginald Clarke to vice president of engineering, and Scott Campbell to vice president of business development.
Carrier Access Corp.
Carrier Access Corp., which provides broadband access equipment to service providers, announced the appointment of Mark Nixon to vice president of marketing. Nixon joins Carrier Access with more than 15 years of experiences in senior management positions with companies including Jato Communications and Nextel Communications, where he headed up marketing in the Rocky Mountain region. In his new position, Nixon is responsible for leading the product marketing, market management, marketing communications and corporate communications organizations for the company.
OPASTCO
James Forcier was elected to replace Robert Miles as OPASTCO’s 2001 chairman. Forcier is president of Chazy & Westport Telephone Corp. of Westport, N.Y., and owns the Westelcom Family of Companies. He has been a member of OPASTCO’s board of directors for seven years.
Antirion
After launching its new New York and Los Angeles locations, Antirion added two new executives to its team. Daniel Sommer was named director of business development and David Makharadze was appointed director of strategic development. Sommer will head the company’s new New York office. He has previous experience in the Internet consulting industry as co-founder of SimplyDone Business Solutions, and with Sapient. Sommer is on the board of directors of Student Agencies Inc. at Cornell University. Makharadze will head the company’s new Los Angeles office. He also comes from SimplyDone Business Solutions, where he was the director of business development. Prior to that, he worked with Datek Securities and Accenture. He also found D&MM Industries where he launched downtownbytes.com, a restaurant guide marketed to financial professionals.
Wireless Knowledge Inc.
Anthony S. Thornley joined Wireless Knowledge Inc.’s board of directors. Thornley currently is executive vice president and chief financial officer at Qualcomm Inc. Prior to joining Qualcomm in 1994, Thornley spent 16 years with Nortel Networks in various financial and information systems management positions.
Tropian Inc.
Tropian Inc. promoted Marshall Wilder to vice president of operations. He was previously director of quality and reliability. Wilder joined Tropian last year from Riga Analytical lab, where he was general manager of the analytical laboratory specializing in the semiconductor and electronics industries. He also has experience at Synergy Semiconductor, Advanced Micro Devices, Intersil Inc. and Fairchild Semiconductor. Tropian also has appointed Cameron Coursey to its newly formed advisory board. Coursey is director of network development at Cingular Wireless, where he leads the implementation of the GSM/TDMA standards interoperability. According to Mike Farese, Tropian president and chief executive officer, he “brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and perspective of the wireless communications field that will greatly help us plan for next generation products.”
U.S. Wireless Corp.
U.S. Wireless Corp., which provides wireless location and traffic information, appointed Julie Freund Roth to vice president of marketing. With more than 20 years of marketing experience in the telecommunications industry, Roth will implement comprehensive marketing initiatives for U.S. Wireless products and services. According to Oliver Hilsenrath, chairman and chief executive officer of U.S. Wireless, Roth’s “extensive experience in high-tech brand and product management, channel marketing and marketing communications will help us position the company and our products as we further expand our role as leader in the growing market for location-based services.” Roth was formerly director of global marketing for the wireless Internet division of Motorola, where she led the marketing of Motorola’s Mobile Internet Exchange Communication Platform. Prior to that, she was a marketing consultant for electronics and high-tech companies including U.S. Robotics, Cincinnati Microwave, Cobra Electronics and GTE.
World Access
World Access Inc. appointed its president, Walter Burmeister, to chief operating officer. Burmeister joined World Access in December 1999 when it acquired FaciliCom International, of which he was founder and president. He also was founder and chairman of Telecommunications Management Group Inc., a telecommunications consulting business. Prior to that, he spent 31 years with Bell Atlantic. World Access Inc. also announced Patrick Aelvoet was appointed to chief financial officer for World Access Europe. Aelvoet previously spent three years as CFO for WorldxChange, until it was acquired by World Access in December 2000. According to John Phillips, the company’s chairman and chief operating officer, “Walt [Burmeister] will have oversight of every aspect of operations and the authority to make changes as he sees fit. Patrick [Aelvoet] has gained extensive experience in the European market and has been instrumental in growing our European operations and moving us toward systems and accounting integration throughout Europe.”
Sygate Technologies Inc.
Sygate Technologies Inc. appointed John Adams, chief technology officer at RSA Security, to its advisory board. As CTO at RSA Security, Adams oversees the company’s technical strategy and manages RSA Laboratories. He was senior vice president of engineering at Security Dynamics before it was renamed RSA Security. He also spent 20 years with Digital Equipment Corp., gaining experience in engineering, product management, marketing and strategic planning, including as vice president of network operating systems. According to Sygate, information and experience shared by members of its advisory board enhances its overall strategic plan and increases its visibility in the industry.
Motient Corp.
Motient Corp. announced Peter Belman will take over the position of vice president of marketing and product management. His more than 12 years of marketing experience include roles with StarRemote Wireless, TeleCorp PCS and Sprint Spectrum. As vice president, he will devise, implement and manage Motient’s marketing strategies.
Colorado MicroDisplay
Colorado MicroDisplay, a developer of high-resolution, full-color microdisplay solutions, named John Metcalf chief financial officer. Metcalf has held several high-level financial and operations positions with technology companies including Wafertech Corp., Siltec Corp, Oki Semiconductor and Advanced Micro Devices. He joined Wafertech when it was a six-month-old start-up and under his financial direction, the company grew to $400 million in revenue and hired 1200 employees. “John’s semiconductor background, tenure with rapid-growth companies, and experience with both the finance side and the operations side make him a perfect match for CMD,” said Kenney Roberts, the company’s president and chief operating officer.
Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications
Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications appointed Stephen Lubniewski president and general manager of its Enterprise Solutions-U.S. business unit. In this position, Lubniewski will expand LMGT’s portfolio of information technology services and Infocom-related solutions in high-growth domestic markets. He will also continue building LMGT’s secure networking offerings. Lubniewski most recently served as senior vice president of systems solutions at Lockheed Martin Systems Integration-Owego. He also previously was vice president of Loral and Lockheed Martin’s Sustaining Base Information Systems Program for the U.S. Army.
Allgon Telecom Ltd.
Allgon Telecom Ltd. named Mark Joyce president of Allgon Systems in North America. Joyce will be responsible for day-to-day operations of the infrastructure division at Allgon, including sales, marketing and operations. Formerly a director of sales with Ericsson Inc., Joyce has specialized in sales and account management throughout his 25-year career. He received his bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Texas.
LGC Wireless
LGC Wireless announced the appointment of Alex Gray to executive vice president and chief operating officer. Gray joins the company to oversee engineering, marketing, customer service and manufacturing. Prior to this position, Gray was executive vice president of business operations for ReplayTV, a consumer electronics and new-media company. He also has held positions with Lucent Technologies Inc., Octel Communication Corp., Next Computer Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Laboratories.
GNP Computers
GNP Computers has added Mark Shain as chief financial officer. As such, Shain will be responsible for GNP’s financial management including financial planning, accounting tax, risk management and business analysis. Shain has 24 years of experience in executive management, focusing on finance and administration. Most recently he was vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer of Landmark Capital Enterprises Inc. According to the GNP’s president and chief executive officer, Roger Baar, “With the addition of Mark to our executive management team, GNP will be able to meet its goals and objectives even faster.”
Leap Wireless
Leap Wireless International Inc. appointed Richard Robinson to vice president of mobile entertainment for the company’s wireless data development group. In his new role, Robinson will be responsible for establishing relationships with companies that can provide content to Leap wireless customers and developing a platform from which Leap can build a base of entertainment offerings. Robinson’s more than 20 years of business and marketing in the interactive media and entertainment software publishing industries includes experience in the cable television, telephony and Internet markets. Leap also appointed Keith Halford to vice president of wireless content for the company’s wireless data development group. Halford will act as “the voice” of Leap’s customers as the company aggregates content designed to be personal, relevant and local to Leap’s customers. According to Leap, Halford’s 25 years of experience with QVC and the Home Shopping Network, AT&T affiliate Tritel Communications and Transactional Media Corp., have prepared him for his new position.
America Online Inc.
America Online Inc. has announced the promotion of Lisa Hook to president of AOL Mobile. Hook previously served as senior vice president and chief operating officer of AOL Mobile. In her new position she will direct strategy and oversee AOL Mobile’s daily operations, new initiatives and partnerships. According to the company, since AOL Mobile’s introduction in February 2000, it has announced agreements with companies worldwide, including Sprint PCS, AT&T, VoiceStream, Cingular Wireless, Arch Communications, OmniSky, Nokia, Motorola, Telesp and Hutchison Telecom. Hook’s predecessor, Dennis Patrick will become senior adviser to Barry Schuler, chairman and chief executive officer of America Online Inc. Patrick will work with the executives from all AOL divisions in an effort to extend AOL’s features to emerging mobile technologies. “Lisa Hook is the perfect person to continue to lead the AOL Mobile team as its new president and to build on the tremendous momentum we’ve achieved in the wireless space to date,” said Schuler. “I am also pleased to have Dennis Patrick continue to take a leadership role in developing our mobile initiatives. His vision and wide-ranging experience will be a tremendous plus as we move to capitalize on the extraordinary opportunities to bring new levels of convenience to consumers.”
Symbian
Symbian announced the appointment of Gilles Allain to vice president of business management. As VP, Gilles will work with handset manufacturers to deploy a range of Symbian based Smartphones and Communicators globally. “With his 12 years of experience in the telecoms industry and extensive contacts with operators, Gilles will play a key role in managing our relations with the rapidly growing community of Symbian licensees,” said Mark Edwards, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Symbian.
Telecommunication Industry Association
The TIA elected eleven new board members. They are: Howard Bubb, vice president and general manager of Intel Corp.; William Eversole, general manager of DSL Products for Texas Instruments; Fred McDuffee, senior vice president of Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corp.; Ralph Hayon, chief executive officer of Congruency; Chris Younger, executive vice president of Expanents; Stan Blau, managing director of PS Capital; Bob Panoff, principal of RPM; A.R. Forcke, CRM enterprise strategist at IBM; Fred Yentz, vice president and general manager of RadiSys; Sandy Lyons, president and chief executive officer of Corning Cable Systems; and Dave Owen, vice president and general manager of Alcatel.
Datawire Communication Networks Inc.
Datawire Communication Networks Inc. named Edward W. Towers chief operating officer and secretary to its board of directors. He reports to Anees Munshi, president and chief executive officer, and is responsible for the sales, finance, legal and human resources functions of the company. Towers comes to Datawire with more than 20 years of experience in the telecom and wireless industries. He held several leadership positions at Chicago-based Telephone and Data Systems, including vice president of corporate development and operations. Prior to that, he spent five years at GTE.
Novarra Inc.
Novarra Inc. appointed John R. Walter to its board of directors. Walter is retired president and chief operating officer of AT&T and former chairman, president and chief executive officer of R.R. Donnelley & Sons Inc. On the board, he will play an advisory role in the development of Novarra’s business strategy and execution. “John has played a role in shaping the telecommunications industry, and his experience in establishing successful leadership models for emerging growth companies will be a valuable asset as Novarra continues to gain market position,” said Art Roldan, chief executive officer and president of Novarra. “We believe the addition of John to our board is a strong validation of Novarra’s wireless technology and the tremendous impact it will have in the high-growth wireless market.”
Centrinity Inc.
Centrinity Inc., which develops and markets unified communication and collaborative groupware technologies, announced it has appointed John Myers executive vice president of strategic relations. Myers has more than 20 years experience with Nortel Networks Corp. behind him, most recently as its vice president and general manager of messaging. “His experience building strategic relationships in the carrier marketplace will be of tremendous value as we continue to roll out our Unified Communications solution to service providers both in North America and internationally,” said Myles McGovern, president and chief executive officer of Centrinity Inc.
Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless named John Stratton vice president and chief marketing officer. Stratton will be responsible for Verizon’s marketing, advertising, product pricing, e-commerce and distribution strategies. He previously was president of the company’s Northwest area responsible for operation in the Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis and Kansas/Missouri regions. Stratton also spent several years with Bell Atlantic Mobile. “John has a broad background in the wireless industry that gives him a thorough understanding of every aspect of our business from product development to sales,” said Lowell McAdam, chief operating officer at Verizon. “His knowledge and expertise will serve as the driving force behind our continued effort to provide customers with wireless service that is simple, affordable and national.”
