Sowmyanarayan Sampath promoted to CEO at Verizon Business

Verizon’s chief revenue officer Sowmyanarayan Sampath has been promoted to CEO of Verizon Business after eight years with the company.

Sampath’s previous roles at Verizon have also included SVP of business transformation, chief product officer for consumer and enterprise businesses, chief financial officer at Verizon Media Group, and president of global enterprise.

As CRO, Sampath has been responsible for Verizon’s commercial success, as SVP of business transformation he was responsible for transforming the business’ operating model, as well as spearheading the Network Transformation and OneFiber initiatives, as CPO for consumer and enterprise businesses he worked across networks, IoT, next-generation video and 5G, as CFO at Verizon Media Group his focus was on strategy and transformation and as president of global enterprise he launched Verizon’s solutions for 5G networks and multi-access edge computing.

“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 moment of radical digitisation for our customers,'' said Sampath.

“The Verizon Business team is absolutely the best in the business and I am committed to ensuring we continue to build on the momentum and success we have shared together thus far. The time is now to disrupt the industry and stay laser focused on transformational outcomes for our customers and how Verizon serves their needs.”

Sampath commences his role as CEO effective July 1 2022, and will report directly to Verizon chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg. He will succeed Tami Erwin who will assume the role of strategic advisor to the CEO until the year end.

“Sampath brings more than two decades of experience in digital transformation and critical network infrastructure on behalf of business customers to his new role at Verizon, plus extensive knowledge of products and their role in powering enterprise growth and global security,” said Vestberg.

“I am proud of the Verizon Business team’s drive and continued growth as part of our customer-facing transformation model. Given Sampath’s distinguished Verizon tenure, this will be a seamless transition and I expect him to continue the business momentum.”

Commenting on Erwin’s contribution to the business, Vestberg said, “In her 35 years with Verizon and its predecessor companies, Tami has been a trailblazer who has led mission critical initiatives across all areas of our company, from wireless, to wireline, to enterprise. She has always demonstrated a customer-first approach, created blueprints for success and delivered exceptional results. The breadth of her career, impact of her leadership and the legacy she’s leaving behind should be an inspiration to us all.”