Sowmyanarayan Sampath, a longtime leader who has excelled in numerous roles at Verizon, has been named CEO of Verizon Business, starting July 1, the company announced Tuesday.
Sampath will report directly to Hans Vestberg, president and CEO of Verizon. Sampath will succeed Tami Erwin, who announced her resignation from the role earlier this year. He will take on the role of strategic advisor to the CEO until the end of 2022.
Vestberg said Sampath is perfect for the role.
“Sampath brings over two decades of experience in digital transformation and critical network infrastructure on behalf of enterprise customers to its new role at Verizon, as well as extensive knowledge of the products and their role in driving business growth and global security. “, he has declared. “I am proud of the drive and continued growth of the Verizon Business team as part of our customer-facing transformation model. Given Sampath’s distinguished tenure at Verizon, this will be a seamless transition and I expect the business momentum to continue. “
Sampath joined Verizon in 2014 and currently serves as the Chief Revenue Officer for Verizon Business. He has been a decisive driving force behind the organization’s commercial success, its culture of shared success, and relentless focus on customer needs.
Over the years, Sampath has held several strategic roles at Verizon. He joined as senior vice president of business transformation, transforming Verizon’s operating model and creating two of the company’s largest core initiatives: Network Transformation and OneFiber. As chief product officer for consumer and enterprise companies, he has led joint initiatives on networks, the Internet of Things, next-generation video and development of the 5G product portfolio. Sampath then served as chief financial officer at Verizon Media Group, focusing on strategy and transformation, before becoming president of the global enterprise, where he led the commercial rollout of Verizon’s 5G networks and multi-access edge computing solutions.
“I come to this role from a very diverse background, a mindset to constantly learn, and a mission to lead with kindness and integrity during this critical time of radical digitization for our customers,” he said. “The Verizon Business team is absolutely the best in the industry and I am committed to ensuring that we continue to build on the momentum and success we have shared together so far. The time has come to revolutionize the industry and stay focused on transforming results for our customers and how Verizon meets their needs. “
Erwin has been CEO since 2019. During his tenure, Erwin has positioned Verizon Business as the partner of choice for customers’ digital transformation efforts. Prior to his current position, he played a crucial role in the evolution and growth of Verizon’s wireline and wireless business segments. Previously, he headed operations for Verizon Wireless and led Verizon Fios, the nation’s largest residential and commercial fiber network. Earlier in her career, she served as chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless and led the company’s western region, taking it from fourth to first.
Vestberg said Erwin made a big impact.
“In her 35 years with Verizon and its predecessors, Tami has been a pioneer who has led mission-critical initiatives in all areas of our company, from wireless, to wireline, to enterprise,” he said. “She has always demonstrated a customer-centric approach, created successful projects and achieved outstanding results. The breadth of her career, the impact of her leadership and the legacy she is leaving should be an inspiration to us all. “