CEO Today USA Awards

www.ceotodaymagazine.com 90 CEO Today USAAwards 2018 NEW YORK HANS VESTBERG CEO of Verizon Communications ABOUT HANS VESTBERG Hans Vestberg is chief executive officer of Verizon Communications, a leading provider of wireless, fiber-optic and global Internet networks and services. He was named CEO on Aug. 1, 2018. He previously served as Verizon’s chief technology officer and president of Global Networks, with responsibility for further developing the architecture for Verizon’s fiber-centric networks. At Verizon, Vestberg has focused on delivering seamless experiences for customers over network assets consisting of the country’s leading 4G LTE network, the largest 5G test-bed in the U.S., the nation’s biggest residential fiber network, a global internet backbone and undersea cable network carrying much of the world’s internet traffic, and fiber assets in 45 of the top 50 markets in the U.S. Before joining Verizon in April 2017, Vestberg served for six years as president and CEO of Ericsson, a multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company headquartered in Sweden that provides 35 percent of the world’s 2G, 3G and 4G mobile network infrastructures. For more than a decade after joining Ericsson in 1991, he gained broad international experience with leadership positions on four continents. He was instrumental in developing Ericsson’s industry-leading services organization, which grew three-fold during his five years of management. In 2007 he became Ericsson’s chief financial officer, and he was named CEO in 2009. As CEO, he led more than 115,000 employees as the company transformed from a focus on hardware to software and services. Vestberg was a founding member of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Broadband Commission for Digital Development, where he led climate-change and digital-health initiatives. He is past chairman of the Swedish Olympic Committee and a current member of the Leadership Council of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network. He is also vice chairman of Hexagon and a board member of the UN Foundation, the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, and Childhood US (part of the Queen of Sweden’s World Childhood Foundation). Vestberg is a leading voice at industry conferences, including Mobile World Congress, Code/ Mobile and the Consumer Electronics Show. In 2014, he was ranked #10 on Global Telecoms Business’ list of the 100 most powerful people in the telecoms industry. Born in Hudiksvall, Sweden, Vestberg earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Uppsala, Sweden in 1991. He is married with two children and is fluent in Swedish, English, Spanish, and Portuguese. FIRM PROFILE Verizon Communications was created on June 30, 2000 by Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp., in one of the largest mergers in U.S. business history. GTE and Bell Atlantic evolved and grew through decades of mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. Today, Verizon is a global technology company delivering the promise of the digital world to millions of customers every day. Every day, we connect millions of people, companies and communities with our powerful technology. We’re using our award-winning networks to make breakthroughs in interactive entertainment, digital media, the Internet of Things and broadband services for customers. Whatever the future looks like, whatever the digital world promises, we will deliver. Verizon is a global leader delivering innovative communications and technology solutions that improve the way our customers live, work and play. www.verizon.com