Qwest Shuffles Management

As expected new Qwest CEO Richard Notebaert is bringing in some of his former Ameritech management team and announcing a reorganization of the carrier’s top-level responsibilities.

Oren Shaffer, formerly CFO at Ameritech, will take over the same role at Qwest. Shaffer, worked with Notebaert at Ameritech from 1994 to 2000 and resigned soon after the SBC acquisition, succeeds Robin Szeliga, who will remain an executive vice president of the company to focus on debt reduction plans.

The company also announced that Gary Lytle will take over as vice president of policy and law for Qwest’s Washington office. Lytle, who was with Ameritech from 1992 to 2000, briefly served as president and CEO of the U.S. Telecom Association, succeeds Lauren "Pete" Belvin, who will serve as a consultant to Qwest.

A third former Ameritech executive, Joan Walker, has been appointed senior vice president of corporate communications, succeeding Michael Tarpey who announced his retirement last April.

Qwest also announced that it has reorganized into three units serving consumers, businesses and wholesale customers. The consumer group will including the company’s consumer services, wireless, cable and video businesses under executive vice president Annette Jacobs, who was formerly responsible for the wireless business.

The business markets group unit will include all of the Qwest's national business accounts and global business accounts and will be run by executive vice president Clifford S. Holtz, who was formerly responsible for national business accounts. A special businesses group, Qwest Enterprises, headed by James L. Becker, formerly executive vice president of customer operations, will contain some of Qwest's smaller standalone businesses, including hosting and application services, operator services, calling cards, international networks and other operations.

Gordon Martin, executive vice president, will continue to run Qwest's wholesale markets group.

As part of the reorganization, Jacobs, Holtz, Martin and Becker will report to Afshin Mohebbi, president and COO, who is now responsible for all of Qwest's operating units, including Qwest's directories business, QwestDex. James Smith, formerly executive vice president for national consumer markets; Shaun Gilmore, formerly executive vice president for global accounts; and Ross Lau, formerly president, Qwest Asia, will all be leaving Qwest.