Two former regional Verizon executives have jumped ship and taken up with Sprint, the latter said in a Friday press release.
Verizon’s former New York metro and Florida regional presidents Pat Devlin and Mariano Legaz have joined Sprint, the carrier said.
Devlin will now serve as Sprint’s president of the Northeast Area – one of the four new geographical areas created in Sprint’s reorganization – and will report to CEO Marcelo Claure. Devlin previously served as Verizon’s New York metro regional president for more than seven years and Washington, D.C./Baltimore/Virginia regional president for more than six years during his more than 20 year tenure at Verizon, Sprint said.
Based in New York, Devlin will now oversee Sprint’s sales strategy, network, customer service, marketing communications and general operations across 12 northeastern states, including eastern Pennsylvania. Devlin will also develop market-specific offerings for the cities under his watch, which include Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., Sprint said.
“Sprint’s regional structure is gaining momentum and is proving to be an effective way to bring us closer to our customers and serve them better,” Claure said in a statement. “Pat has a strong track record of driving wireless sales and growing market share. His ties to the Northeast will help us compete and win in this area.”
With Devlin’s appointment, Sprint has now chosen three of its four new area heads. In November, the carrier named Jaime Jones as president of its South area. Sprint followed with the promotion of its former CMO Kevin Crull to head of its Central area. A president for the carrier’s West area has yet to be named.
Legaz, who previously spent more than 16 years working at Verizon as senior vice president for Supply Chain Services, vice president of Sourcing, and director of Capital Planning and Analysis, will now act as Sprint’s chief procurement officer.
Under Legaz’s direction, Sprint said it is aiming to maximize supplier relationships and drive operational efficiencies.
“It’s an exciting time to join Sprint, and I look forward to helping strengthen the company’s competitive position by identifying cost-saving opportunities and driving efficiencies across the business,” Legaz said.
Operating under Sprint CFO Tarek Robbiati, Legaz will play a role in Sprint’s efforts to cut more than $2 billion from its operating expenses.
