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Ivan Seidenberg was the CEO of Bell Atlantic—part of the "Baby Bell" regional telephone companies that were created after the 1984 breakup of the Bell System.
At the time, Bell Atlantic was a landline telephone service, but Seidenberg helped moved the company into new telecom services like mobile and ISPs
He put together a merger with GTE in 2000 to form Verizon.
During the merger Seidenberg was co-ceo with Charles Lee (part of GTE).
As co-CEO, his main focus was expanding Verizon's fiber optic network capabilities.
In 2002, Seidenberg took over as Verizon's sole CEO.
He greenlit other telecom purchases, most notably MCI and Alltel.
Ivan Seidenberg retired as CEO on August 1, 2011.
Charles Lee was Co-CEO after the merger with GTE, being a legacy leader there.
Lee brought his expertise from leading GTE's wireless, Internet access, and telephone operations to bear as Verizon looked to offer bundled services.
During his tenure as co-CEO from 2000-2002, Lee spearheaded efforts to combine the personnel, technology, and organizational structures of Verizon's predecessor companies.
While Ivan Seidenberg focused more on future growth opportunities, Lee provided essential experience navigating the practical challenges of merging major corporate cultures into a functional whole.
By having oversight from executives from both sides of the Bell Atlantic/GTE merger, Verizon was able to move more nimbly toward unified systems and operations during its formative years.
After two years of transactional leadership, Lee stepped down as co-CEO once the integration process was largely complete.
His partnership with Seidenberg ensured that the promises of the Verizon merger were turned into practical realities as the firm charted its future as a national communications leader.
Ivan Seidenberg took over as the company's sole Chief Executive in 2002.
With the challenges of the Verizon merger largely behind him, Seidenberg was well-positioned to take the telecom giant to the next level.
Again, building out fiber-optic infrastructure was his biggest focus.
But as smartphones took off, he ensured Verizon became a leader in 3G and 4G mobile networks.
As sole CEO from 2002-2011, Seidenberg left an indelible mark on Verizon's focus on next-generation network technology.
His vision extended the company far beyond its Baby Bell roots into new regions of business and consumer offering, ultimately expanding its customer base from 25 million to over 100 million.
Though he stepped down in 2011, the advances Seidenberg oversaw set Verizon's technological leadership for decades. His CEO tenure completed the transition from a regional Bell offshoot to a telecom giant.
Lowell McAdam was chosen as the next CEO in 2011.
McAdam had a positive reputation as a telecom leader.
His challenge was to get Verizon ready for the demand in streaming and mobile data services.
McAdam had the company invest in 4G LTE infrastructure and acquired spectrum licenses to expand coverage.
He presided over the $130 billion buyout of Vodafone’s stake in Verizon Wireless.
On the content side, he purchased AOL and Yahoo to supply media over Verizon’s networks.
As CEO from 2011 to 2018, McAdam focused Verizon on next-generation 5G networks, paving the runway for new innovations in smart cities, telemedicine, and autonomous vehicles.
Though he stepped down before its launch, McAdam’s leadership established essential frameworks for Verizon’s mobile video and emerging technology ambitions in the 21st century digital economy.
His deals and focus areas left the company well-positioned to thrive on its networks in an increasingly wireless world.
Hans Vestberg became Verizon's CEO in 2018.
Vestberg came to Verizon from a long career at Swedish telecom firm Ericsson, bringing a wealth of global experience in wireless networks and technology.
As CEO, Vestberg has led Verizon’s early efforts around next-generation 5G network deployment and innovation.
He has focused the company squarely on capitalizing on the transformative potential of 5G applications for media, entertainment, IoT, robotics, autonomous vehicles, and more futuristic use cases still in development.
Under Vestberg's leadership, Verizon has forged partnerships expanding its technology trials and real-world testing for enterprise and consumer 5G offerings.
It has also invested heavily in the 5G spectrum to extend its current coverage lead in the 5G race.
While overseeing Verizon's ruthless focus on 5G network leadership in the marketplace, Vestberg has also spearheaded organizational realignments to optimize 5G opportunities.
As Verizon moves rapidly toward an increasingly connected digital future, Hans Vestberg's tenure from 2018 onwards has centered the company's strategic vision around capitalizing on 5G disruptions reshaping its competitive landscape.
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