Leadership Team Named for New Verizon Business Unit Combining MCI With Verizon's Enterprise Solutions Group

Leadership Team Named for New Verizon Business Unit Combining MCI With Verizon's Enterprise Solutions Group

NEW YORK, Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) today announced the leadership team for the new business unit that will encompass MCI, Inc. and Verizon's Enterprise Solutions Group.

John Killian, named president-elect of the business unit last week, announced the following senior leadership team:

Wayne Huyard, currently president-U.S. sales and services for MCI, has been named executive vice president-global sales and service. He will lead all business sales and service activities, including enterprise, government, and international and wholesale sales, as well as the current MCI mass markets organization.

Ed McGuinness, currently senior vice president-marketing for Verizon Enterprise Solutions Group, has been named senior vice president and chief marketing officer. He will be responsible for strategy, business planning, product and market management, advertising and marketing communications.

Fred Briggs, currently president-operations and technology for MCI, has been named executive vice president-network operations and technology. He will be responsible for all aspects of network operations, engineering, network management and service delivery.

Terri Dean, currently president-Verizon Connected Solutions Inc., has been named senior vice president-communications. She will be responsible for public affairs and communications support for the unit, including employee communications, executive support and business unit philanthropy.

Randy Milch, currently senior vice president and deputy general counsel for Verizon Domestic Telecom, has been named senior vice president-legal and external affairs for the unit. He will be responsible for all legal services and external affairs support for the unit.

Fran Shammo, currently president-West area for Verizon Wireless, has been named senior vice president and chief financial officer for the business unit. He will be responsible for all financial matters, including accounting, treasury, financial reporting and financial planning.

Judy Spitz, currently senior vice president-IT network systems for Verizon, has been named senior vice president and chief information officer for the unit. She will be responsible for all information technology needs for the new business unit.

Bob Toohey, currently vice president-Total Rewards for Verizon, has been named senior vice president-human resources. He will be responsible for all human resources activities in support of the business unit.

"I am very proud of the quality and depth of the senior leadership team we have assembled," Killian said. "Each leader brings a wealth of experience, talent and vision to this new organization. This team is composed of exactly the kind of people we need to help us succeed in bringing an enhanced value proposition and improved customer experience to the marketplace. We plan to fully capitalize on the quality of our brand, and the assets and heritage that both MCI and Verizon bring to this new unit."

All appointments are effective following regulatory approval of the merger, anticipated around the end of the year. In the interim period, these leaders will oversee integration planning for their respective functions.

The new business unit, whose name is expected to be announced within a few weeks, will provide services to large business and government customers, as well as MCI's current customer base.

With more than $71 billion in annual revenues, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon has a diverse work force of more than 214,000 in four business units: Domestic Telecom provides customers based in 28 states with wireline and other telecommunications services, including broadband. Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 47.4 million voice and data customers across the United States. Information Services operates directory publishing businesses and provides electronic commerce services. International includes wireline and wireless operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

Source: Verizon

CONTACT: Peter Thonis of Verizon, +1-212-395-2355, peter.thonis@verizon.com

Web site: http://www.verizon.com/

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