Lumen appoints new President and CEO, Kate Johnson
Kate Johnson, who is expected to transition into the role on November 7th, will also join Lumen Technologies’ Board of Directors.
She will succeed Jeff Storey, who has announced his retirement, following an exceptional 40 year career at the very forefront of the telecommunications sector.
About Kate Johnson - the new CEO of Lumen Technologies
Johnson is a technology executive, already with an extraordinary track record and level of industry experience. She has driven highly successful digital transformations in a variety of Fortune 100 companies, including Oracle, General Electric and Microsoft. In the latter, she led Microsoft US’ remit for all of the company's sales, services, marketing and operations, and almost doubled enterprise revenues.
"I am proud to take on the CEO role and eager to advance the strategy Jeff and the team have created. Lumen has made significant progress strengthening its balance sheet, expanding its fibre footprint and enhancing its portfolio of digital capabilities. I'm looking forward to leading this great company through its next chapter and helping customers leverage the Lumen platform to power amazing digital world experiences", commented Kate Johnson.
"Kate's appointment and the strategic transition announced today are the culmination of a succession plan that Jeff and the board have been engaged in for the past several years," added T. Michael Glenn, Chairman of Lumen's Board of Directors.
"We are confident she is the right leader to take the reins at this important moment in Lumen's history. Kate is an inspiring and motivational leader who is known for identifying and creating growth. She is the ideal CEO for Lumen."
"It has been a privilege to serve as Lumen's CEO. Throughout my time with the company, I have been incredibly impressed by our team's commitment to Lumen and to our core purpose of furthering human progress through technology”, added Jeff Storey.
“I am proud of all that we have achieved together as we have driven forward on Lumen's transformation journey. However, when I took this amazing job, I always spoke openly with the board about my future timeline for retirement. I am confident that the organization has the strategy in place to deliver on its priority of achieving profitable revenue growth. I am very excited to welcome Kate to Lumen. I believe her experience, leadership and enthusiasm are exactly what we need as we drive the company forward."
Johnson will join the ranks of 44 other female CEOs leading businesses on the Fortune 500 list. While this is, of course, a fantastic development for industry diversity, it’s clear that there is still so much further to go.
