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`Verizon’s Dan Mead to retire; John Stratton is
`new wireless chief
`
`by Kevin Fitchard
`Feb. 18, 2015 - 10:58 AM PDT
`
`Page 2015-001
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`Solocron Ex. 2015 - Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility - IPR2015-00380
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`Verizon made a surprise annoucement in a U.S. Securities and Exchange
`Commission filing [http://eol.edgarexplorer.com/EFX_dll/EdgarPro.dll?
`FetchFilingHTML1?SessionID=K2o66snO2loPCnu&ID=10495031] on
`Wednesday. Dan Mead [http://www.verizon.com/about/our-company/daniel-s-
`mead/], Verizon Communications EVP and CEO of Verizon Wireless, is retiring
`and Verizon’s EVP in charge of global enterprise and consumer wireline
`operations John Stratton, [http://www.verizon.com/about/our-company/john-g-
`stratton/] has taken over the day-to-day operation of Verizon’s core mobile
`business in addition to his wireline duties.
`
`Mead, who became Verizon [https://search.gigaom.com/company/verizon/]’s
`wireless chief in 2010 and is now age 61, isn’t leaving the company before
`finishing a final housekeeping, item though. In the filing, which was first spotted
`by Wireless Week [http://www.wirelessweek.com/news/2015/02/verizon-
`wireless-ceo-dan-mead-retiring], Verizon said Mead has been appointed EVP
`
`Dan Mead, CEO of Verizon Wireless, is retiring
`
`Page 2015-002
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`
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`and President of Strategic Initiatives. His sole responsibility will be overseeing
`the transfer of Verizon’s wireline networks in California, Florida and Texas to
`Frontier Communications [https://search.gigaom.com/company/frontier-
`communications/], a deal announced earlier this
`month [https://gigaom.com/2015/02/05/verizon-to-sell-part-of-its-wireline-biz-
`to-frontier-for-10-54b/], after which he is expected to retire.
`
`As for Stratton, he isn’t assuming Mead’s full title of President and CEO of
`Verizon Wireless. Instead he was named EVP and President of Operations, but
`that doesn’t necessarily mean his role will be diminished. Verizon Wireless has
`always had a weird organizational structure because for most of its life it had
`two corporate parents: Verizon Communications and
`Vodafone [https://search.gigaom.com/company/vodafone/]. Consequently
`Verizon and Verizon Wireless always had two different CEOs, CTOs and pretty
`much every other C-level position.
`
`That changed when Verizon bought out Vodafone’s stake last year for $130
`billion [https://gigaom.com/2014/02/21/with-vodafone-deal-final-verizon-
`wireless-is-now-just-verizon/]. It looks like Verizon is now taking this opportunity
`to normalize its executive titles, but as Mead did before him, Stratton will report
`directly to Verizon’s biggest cheese: Chairman and CEO Lowell McAdam.
`
`And in case you’re keeping count, Mead’s retirement means the number of
`nationwide carrier chiefs with mustaches is now down from two to a mere one.
`AT&T [https://search.gigaom.com/company/att/] Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega,
`wear your stache proudly!
`
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