Cable & Wireless announces CEO John Reid to step down

Cable & Wireless Communications (C&W) announced on December 12 that John Reid will step down from the position of CEO in early 2018. An announcement on C&W’s incoming CEO will be made in due course, and until that time, Reid will remain in the post and will support the transition to new leadership.

Mike Fries, CEO of Liberty Global, parent company of C&W, said: “John has been an exceptional leader for us, steering Cable & Wireless through significant changes and transformation; we have valued John’s dedication and energy and wish him the very best for the future.”

Reid has been an industry leader for more than 29 years in Canada and for the past 13 years across the Caribbean and Latin America. At Columbus Communications and then with the merger with Cable & Wireless, Reid played a key role in building the region’s leading full service communications and entertainment provider. Most recently, John was also instrumental in the integration of C&W with Liberty Global, which is due to deliver $150m in synergies, as well as readying the company to be part of Liberty Global’s Latin America and Caribbean operation, which is due to be split off next month. During his tenure at C&W, Reid has driven the transformation of the business to focus on delivering an unparalleled customer experience, leading to improved performance and efficiency, as well as the implementation of growth strategies for the company’s mobile, residential, business and wholesale segments. In October 2016, Reid was recognized by leading intelligence source, Global Telecom Business, as one of the top five leaders from the Caribbean and Latin America in GTB’s Power 100.

Commenting, Reid said: “It has been a great privilege to lead C&W through the integration with Columbus and more recently with Liberty Global. With the planned split-off of Liberty Latin America, now is the right time to let new leadership take the business through its exciting next chapter. I am proud of what we have achieved during my tenure; with our focus on delivering an unparalleled customer experience starting to translate into performance momentum, and a talented new leadership team in place, C&W is ready for its next phase of growth.”