T-Mobile has just announced that John Legere has been named Chief Executive Officer of T-Mobile USA, effective September 22. Legere is a 32-year veteran of the US and global telecommunications industry succeeding Jim Alling, who was serving as interim CEO after the departure of Philip Humm.
“John is a talented and proven executive who brings a successful track record of leading and operating consumer- and business-focused telecommunications and technology companies,” said René Obermann, CEO of Deutsche Telekom. “As T-Mobile moves forward with its strategic initiatives to improve its market position, including expanding its network coverage and initiating LTE service, John has obviously the right skillset to lead the business into the future. John’s experience in the telecommunication and technology industries at Global Crossing and Dell will enhance T-Mobile’s ability to deliver superior mobile experiences for our customers as the Company continues to strengthen its business. I am delighted to welcome John to T-Mobile and look forward to working with him to make T-Mobile a stronger competitor.”
“I am thrilled to join T-Mobile and lead the Company at such a pivotal time,” said Mr. Legere. “T-Mobile is taking a number of significant steps to revitalize the business and I look forward to leading our team and partners to accelerate these efforts to become a force in our industry.”
You can read the full press release at the T-Mobile link below, or the internal statement going around to employees right now.
Internal Announcement:
Team,I’m delighted to announce John Legere as the new CEO of T-Mobile USA. With more than 30 years in telecom, John is a thoughtful and innovative leader in the industry, and brings tremendous experience and passion to T-Mobile.Our search for a new CEO was a strategic undertaking, one that valued long-term commitment and a refreshed, customer-focused direction. We sought an innovator—an aggressive, out-of-the-box thinker who will carry T-Mobile to a future of success and industry leadership. In getting to know John even better over the past few months, I’ve come to respect his vision for T-Mobile and commitment to changing the way wireless is done.John is a fierce competitor in both his personal and professional lives, and will uphold our history of bold moves. With his perseverance and unwavering commitment to improvement, he will no doubt lead T-Mobile in bold new directions that will further establish the Company as the best value in wireless.It’s a pivotal time for T-Mobile as we conclude our 10th anniversary celebrations and continue our journey as the industry innovator. To reach our 20th anniversary, we must continue to position ourselves as the challenger brand—the “uncarrier.” With the Challenger Strategy as the road to success, John will partner with all of you to execute our five strategic levers: Amazing 4G Services, Value Leader, Trusted Brand, Multi-Segment Player, and Challenger Business Model.The progress you all have already made on the Challenger Strategy is significant, and John will serve as a further catalyst to see us through to the competitive finish and ensure we achieve our mission—to make amazing 4G services affordable.This moment in our history would not be possible without Jim Alling’s successful stewardship of the business for these past few months. While Jim served in an interim capacity, his permanency as a respected leader and believer in an employee-first culture is a vision that is shared by John. The potential for T-Mobile is limitless with Jim and all of our Executive Committee members working closely with John to create a new story for our business—one that promises to motivate and inspire you to continue doing the critical work that has helped us achieve all of our success to date.We’re investing in all the right places, improving service across the board, and challenging competitors to keep up. I’m thrilled to bring John to Seattle and with him, his hunger to make T-Mobile the wireless leader.Thank you and all the best,RenéRené ObermannCEO of Deutsche Telekom