LAWRENCE T. BABBIO JR

Lawrence T. Babbio, Jr. was the vice chairman and president of Verizon until his retirement in April of 2007. He was responsible for the Verizon Telecom and Verizon Business units.  He was also a member of the board of directors of Verizon Wireless.

Mr. Babbio began his communications career in 1966 with New Jersey Bell Telephone. He served in a variety of positions in engineering, network construction, and technology development with New Jersey Bell and AT&T. In January 1995 he was elected vice chairman of Bell Atlantic Corporation.

Prior to the Bell Atlantic/GTE merger, Babbio was president and chief operating officer for Bell Atlantic. He shared oversight of, and responsibility for, all of the corporation’s business operations, restructuring of the business units, the GTE merger process, and developing new growth opportunities.

Mr. Babbio also served as chairman of the company’s Global Wireless Group, one of the largest wireless operations worldwide. He was the lead executive in charge of developing Bell Atlantic’s domestic and international wireless communications strategy. Under his leadership, Bell Atlantic substantially increased the size and scope of its domestic and international wireless holdings.

After retiring from Verizon in 2007 he became a Senior Advisor for Warburg Pincus until March, 2012.

He has served on the board of ARAMARK Corporation since 1999. Babbio also serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Stevens Institute of Technology and also serves on the board of the Wallace Foundation.

He holds a B.E. in electrical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, and an M.B.A. from New York University.

VIVEK BADRINATH

Vivek Badrinath was CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of Vantage Towers AG from the creation of the Company in 2020 through its IPO in 2021 to its sale to private equity in 2023. Vantage Towers manages 88,000 telecom towers throughout 8 European countries.

Ahead of this role, Vivek Badrinath joined Vodafone and the Executive Committee as CEO of Africa Middle East Asia Pacific in October 2016. He oversaw Vodafone’s operations in the Vodacom Group, India, Australia, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and New Zealand. Vivek was also the Interim CEO of Vodafone Business.

Prior to that, he was the Deputy Chief Executive at the international hospitality group Accor Hotels where he was responsible for marketing, digital solutions, distribution and information systems. He was previously Deputy Chief Executive with Orange, in charge of Innovation, Marketing and Technology. He has successively held positions in Technology (CTO of Orange Mobile, subsequently Group CTO), Enterprise (CEO of Orange Business Services). Between 2000 and 2004 he ran the Indian operations of Thomson.

He was a Board member of Nokia and member of the Audit Committee between 2014 and 2016. He was a Board member of Accor group from 2016 to 2018, and a Board member of ATOS from 2019 to 2023. He is a recipient of the French Legion of Honor and of the National Order of Merit.

BRAXTON CARTER

Mr. Carter is the founder and CEO of Carter Companies, pursuing and managing investments in the technology, media, and telecom space.

Until July 2020, Mr. Carter served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for T-Mobile U.S., leading the financial and logistics functions of the Company. Mr. Carter was one of the key architects of the turnaround of T-Mobile and creation of the Uncarrier. He was also a key member of the team negotiating and closing the acquisition of Sprint in April 2020 and the acquisition of MetroPCS in 2013.

Mr. Carter served as Vice Chairman and CFO of MetroPCS Communications, Inc., his second wireless startup, from 2005 until the merger with T-Mobile in May 2013. From February 2001 to March 2005, he managed all corporate operations of MetroPCS, where he led and built all back-office operations including marketing, IT, customer service and logistics.

Prior to 2001, Mr. Carter served as CFO of PrimeCo Personal Communications, his first wireless startup, which ultimately became a major participant in the creation of Verizon Wireless in 2000. Subsequently, Mr. Carter was COO and CFO of the successor entity of PrimeCo Personal Communications Inc. until January 2001.

Mr. Carter also has extensive senior management experience in the retail industry and spent 10 years in public accounting. Mr. Carter serves on the boards of Assurant, Inc. and Colony Capital Inc. and previously served on the boards of Zayo Group and Research Now, Inc.

Mr. Carter is a certified public accountant. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Colorado.

JAMES S. KAHAN

James (Jim) S. Kahan, Senior Executive Vice President - Corporate Development, was responsible at the time of his retirement for all domestic and international mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and venture capital investments for AT&T Inc. and its subsidiaries.  He was appointed to this position at SBC Communications Inc. in October 1999, and remained in the post following the close of the SBC’s acquisition of AT&T Corp. in November 2005 (after the merger SBC changed its name to AT&T Inc.). During this period he reported directly to the Chairman/CEO and was a member of the senior team that established the strategic direction for the firm. 

Mr. Kahan began his Bell System career with Western Electric in St. Louis in 1967 and held increasing positions of responsibility at Bell Laboratories, South Central Bell, AT&T, and later Southwestern Bell/SBC Communications. He was first appointed an SBC officer as senior vice president - corporate development in 1992, and assumed additional responsibilities for strategic planning and marketing, and development of long-term business growth strategies. During his tenure with SBC, the company acquired many entities including Pacific Telesis (1997), SNET (1998), Ameritech (1999), and the former AT&T Corp. in 2005. He also oversaw AT&T’s acquisition of BellSouth Corp. in 2006 as well as the numerous transactions which formed the basis for Cingular Wireless (later renamed AT&T Wireless). In addition, Mr. Kahan oversaw numerous international transactions for SBC including those in Mexico, Israel, France, South Africa, Switzerland, Canada and others. Overall he has been involved in over $300 billion in mergers, acquisitions and investments. 

Mr. Kahan currently serves on the Boards of AMDOCS Ltd., an international provider of software and related services to the telecom industry and Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. the worlds largest live music and ticketing company. Mr. Kahan earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University and a master's degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina system.  

JEFFREY KEIL

For much of his career Jeffrey Keil was with Edmond Safra’s Republic New York Corporation (was RNB - NYSE) and its wholly owned subsidiary Republic National Bank of New York, serving as President and Vice Chairman respectively from 1983 through 1996.

More recently he served as President and Interim CEO of The St. Joe Company (JOE - NYSE) in 2014 and 2015. From 2011 - 2013 he served as a TAP Advisors Board Member. In addition, from 2007 - 2012 he was also the Chairman of the Board (non-executive) of Knight Vinke Asset Management, a company co-founded by CalPERS.

Mr. Keil holds a BS in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. Mr. Keil currently serves as a Director for Blackrock Institutional Trust Company and until recently, served as a Director for Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE: JEF, formerly Leucadia National Corp.). Previously, he served as Director for the St. Joe Company and Bedrock Holdings. Formerly, he was a Trustee for the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Wharton Undergraduate Advisory Board Member, and Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy. He is a Board Member of Centro Primo Levi, New York and of the Marion B and Jacob K. Javits Foundation, Inc.

PETER KNAG

Mr. Knag is the former Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., joining the company in June 2018 after AT&T acquired Time Warner. Mr. Knag also was Executive Vice President, WarnerMedia Finance where he led organizations including FP&A, treasury, reporting, global procurement, corporate development, risk management, business improvement, merger integration and travel services. Prior to this, Mr. Knag was Vice President of AT&T Inc. merger planning and Managing Director of Corporate Development for AT&T Inc., where he led the management of client relationships, analysis, negotiation and execution of mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, divestitures, and venture capital investments on behalf of AT&T and its affiliates worldwide. Mr. Knag joined AT&T in 1999 and led and executed more than $200 billion in transactions.

Prior to joining AT&T, Mr. Knag worked for Lehman Brothers and First Albany Corporation. Mr. Knag has served a a director on the boards of Central European Media Enterprises and Vogel Alcove. Mr. Knag holds a Bachelor’s degree and a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University.

MICHAEL LEITNER

Michael Leitner is the former co-head of Blackrock's Direct Lending and Special Situations investment practice where he was responsible for co-leading the platform, originating, and executing global investment opportunities, maintaining relationships with key deal sources, corporates, and intermediaries across the US and Europe. Mr. Leitner also co-led the firm’s investment strategies in the technology, communication services, and media sectors, leading over $4 billion of debt and equity special situations and middle-market lending investments. Prior to its acquisition by Blackrock in 2018, Mr. Leitner was a Managing Partner at Tennenbaum Capital Partners (TCP), a member of its Management Committee, and a past Chairman of the Investment Committee for all fund vehicles and strategies. TCP had more than $9 billion in committed capital when it was acquired by Blackrock.

During his tenure at TCP/BlackRock, Mr. Leitner had built the firm into a well-established and followed thought leader in the broader communication services and infrastructure industry, leading growth and turnaround investments in the satellite, wireline, wireless, cable, data center, managed services, and cloud-computing sectors. Investments spanned corporate buyouts, structured equity, and performing and distressed debt investments, with select investments including WIND Mobile, Wild Blue Communications, Protostar, Satmex, GlobeCom, Avanti, Tillman Infrastructure, INAP, Terremark, Gogo, Clearwire, Primacom, Integra Telecom, and Deltacom.

Before joining TCP in 2005, Mr. Leitner served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for WilTel Communications, President and Chief Executive Officer for GlobeNet Communications, Vice President of Corporate Development and head of Global Data Center and Colocation Services for 360networks, Senior Director of Corporate Development for Microsoft Corporation, and Vice President in the Mergers and Acquisitions group at Merrill Lynch. Mr. Leitner currently serves as a director on the boards of INAP, Tillman Infrastructure Group, Tomia Global and Endurance Acquisition Corp.

Mr. Leitner received a B.A. in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles and an M.B.A from the University of Michigan. Mr. Leitner is also an active member of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization), and a licensed EMT in New York State.

RONALD LEMAY

Ronald T. LeMay is a pioneer and respected leader in the wireless industry, and has nearly 40 years of telecommunications senior operating experience with companies such as AT&T, Sprint, and Southwestern Bell. Mr. LeMay served as the first employee and CEO of Sprint PCS, the company’s wireless entity, and guided it from start-up to $10 billion in revenue faster than any company in history. His career with Sprint spanned 18 years and he served as President and COO before retiring in 2003. Following that time, Mr. LeMay served as an Industrial Partner with Ripplewood Holdings, a private equity firm. He held the CEO position at Japan Telecom from November 2003 until the sale of the company in July 2004. In 2006, he was named Chairman of the Board for GoGo In-Flight Internet. Mr. LeMay co-founded the venture capital entity October Capital in 1999. It has provided venture capital to more than 15 companies in diverse industry segments. He is also co-founder and managing director of OpenAir Equity Partners, a venture capital and private equity firm focused on the wireless, communications and mobile Internet sectors. Ron currently sits on the board of MachineryLink.

A native of Arkansas, Ron attended Southern Arkansas University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree, and graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law.

SENATOR JOHN E SUNUNU

Senator John Sununu cut a unique path from the private sector to public office, serving for three terms in the House of Representatives and for six years as the youngest member of the United States Senate. Before entering public service, Sununu worked for emerging high-tech firms as an engineer, strategy consultant, and a Chief Financial Officer. In Congress, he put his expertise to work for the country, serving on Senate committees such as Commerce, Finance, Banking, and Foreign Relations.

A one of the few members of Congress with a technical background, Sununu rose quickly to earn a seat on the House Appropriations Committee and serve as Vice Chairman of the Budget Committee. During his term in the Senate, Sununu provided leadership in areas of finance and technology, figuring prominently in debates addressing funding for the National Science Foundation, telecommunications policy, and medical information technology.

In the Senate, John Sununu took a lead role in pressing for regulatory reform, writing legislation to reign in the risk-taking at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that was signed into law in 2008. He led the effort to protect the Internet from regulation, and negotiated a seven-year ban on Internet taxes. He was the author of the New England Wilderness Act, as well as legislation that ensured better protection for civil liberties under the PATRIOT Act.

From 2008-2009, Sununu served as a member or the Congressional Oversight Panel for the $700 Billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. He served on the Board of Directors for Time Warner Cable and currently is a board member of Boston Scientific, a leading manufacturer of medical devices. Senator Sununu also serves as the Co-Chair of Broadband for America, a 300-member organization focused on broadband investment, deployment and access. He is a contributing editor for Bloomberg News, and writes a weekly column for the Boston Globe.

He has traveled extensively in the Middle East and Central Asia, leading delegations to monitor the Palestinian Presidential elections in 2005, and the Lebanese Parliamentary elections in June 2009. He served on the Mid-East Working Group at the U.S. Institute for Peace, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Senator Sununu holds BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a MBA from Harvard University. He and his wife Kitty have three children.