It’s time for another major U.S. carrier to get itself a new CEO.
Verizon has revealed in an SEC filing that Verizon Wireless CEO Dan Mead is moving to a new position that’ll see him direct the transfer of Verizon’s wireless services in California, Florida, and Texas over to Frontier Communications. Once that process is complete, which is expected to happen in the first half of 2016, Mead plans to retire.
Taking Mead’s place as the head of Verizon Wireless is John Stratton (pictured above). Stratton previously worked as Verizon’s Executive Vice President and its President of Global Enterprise and Consumer Wireline. His new title will be Executive Vice President and President of Operations, overseeing both Verizon’s wireless and wireline businesses. Both Stratton and Mead will continue to report to Verizon Communications CEO Lowell McAdam.
Dan Mead has been the head of Verizon Wireless since 2010, so it’ll be interesting to see Stratton taking charge of the division and what he does and says in the future. Today’s move is also notable because all four major U.S. carriers have now recently appointed new CEOs: John Legere took the top spot at T-Mobile in late 2012, Marcelo Claure headed up Sprint in August 2014, Glenn Lurie took the helm of AT&T Mobility in August 2014, and now John Stratton is taking over Verizon Wireless.