The American telecoms giant, Lumen Technologies, has appointed Kate Johnson as the company’s president, CEO and board member, starting November 7, 2022.
Johnson succeeds Jeff Storey, who announced his retirement after a distinguished 40-year career in the telecommunications and technology industries, including with Lumen and its predecessors.
Storey will remain with the company until December 31, 2022, to ensure a smooth transition.
Johnson is an extraordinarily successful technology executive. She specialises in driving digital and business transformations to drive growth, having held key leadership roles at various Fortune 100 companies, including Oracle, General Electric and Microsoft.
Most recently, Johnson led Microsoft USA, the company’s most prominent business, with responsibility for managing the company’s overall sales, services, marketing and operations.
Strategic transition
In her four years in that role, she led the division through a substantial cultural transformation while nearly doubling the company’s revenue.
“Kate’s appointment and the strategic transition announced today are the culmination of a succession plan that Jeff and the board have been committed to for several years,” said T. Michael Glenn, chairman of Lumen’s board of directors.
He added: “We are confident that she is the right leader to take the reins at this important time in Lumen’s history. Kate is an inspirational and motivational leader known for identifying and creating growth. She is the ideal CEO for Lumen.”
Ms Johnson continued: “I am proud to take on the role of CEO and look forward to driving forward the strategy that Jeff and the team have created. Lumen has made significant progress in strengthening its balance sheet, expanding its fibre footprint and enhancing its portfolio of digital capabilities. I look forward to leading this great company into its next chapter and helping customers leverage the Lumen platform to power incredible experiences in the digital world.”
Johnson concluded, “Throughout my time at the company, I have been incredibly impressed with our team’s commitment to Lumen and our core purpose of advancing human progress through technology. I am proud of all we have achieved together in the transformation of Lumen.
“However, when I accepted this extraordinary position, I always spoke openly with the board about my future retirement schedule. I am confident that the organisation has the strategy in place to achieve its priority of profitable revenue growth. I am very pleased to welcome Kate to Lumen. I believe her experience, leadership and enthusiasm are exactly what we need to take the business forward.”
