Desch moves upstairs
Telcordia has appointed Daniel J. Carroll President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Mr. Carroll will also serve as a member of the Telcordia Board of Directors. Former ceo Matthew J. Desch will serve the company as Non-Executive Chairman. Carroll can probably be safely viewed as the choice of the new equity investors in Telcordia, although Desch will stay on as non-exec chairman for at least as long as Carroll’s transition to ceo is complete.
Most recently, Mr. Carroll was Chief Operating Officer of the Business Communications Services Division at Lucent Technologies, where he was responsible for a $7 billion global business that provided telecommunications systems to large and small business enterprises. Mr. Carroll, a professional engineer who played an instrumental role in the development of the first VOIP switch for the Lucent division that later became Avaya, spent 35 years with the AT&T, Western Electric and the Lucent family of companies.
Dan Stanzione, a Telcordia Director and former colleague of Mr. Carroll at Lucent Technologies, commented, “We are at what is both a very exciting and challenging time in the history of communications. Dan Carroll is a great fit to help lead Telcordia and its customers to success.”
He added, “We are also extremely grateful to Matt for his dedication and leadership in building Telcordia into the business it is today. We look forward to continuing our relationship with him.”
Mr. Carroll said, “I am very pleased to have the opportunity to join Telcordia as President and CEO. Given both its strong commitment to customer service, quality and technical innovation and its recent evolution to an independent company, I am excited about the promising potential of the business.”
Affiliates of Warburg Pincus and Providence Equity Partners jointly acquired Telcordia from SAIC earlier this year.
Mark Pelson, a Telcordia Director and Managing Director of Providence Equity Partners, said, “We welcome Dan to the team and look forward to his contribution. His experience and tenure within the industry are unmatched and well suited to Telcordia. Matt has led the transformation of Telcordia’s direction, expanded into new markets like wireless, cable and hosting, and made Telcordia an important force outside North America, particularly in Europe and Latin America We appreciate Matt staying on in his new role to help Dan with the transition and to provide the Board his experience.”
Larry Bettino, a Telcordia Director and Managing Director of Warburg Pincus commented, “Dan is an excellent leader for the company as he understands the underlying technology, the business of our customers, and most importantly, he understands the balance of the two.”
Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Desch added, “I am proud of what Telcordia has accomplished during the time that I’ve been affiliated with the company, and I am very pleased to welcome Dan as Telcordia’s new President and CEO. Given his experience and qualifications, I believe he is uniquely suited to lead the company into the future.”