AT&T shuffles leadership to tie video, mobile services together
Longtime executives Ralph de la Vega and John Stankey take on new duties as part of the shift.
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You're increasingly watching video on the go, with your phone taking over as the central source of entertainment.
AT&T recognizes that, and has shaken up the responsibilities of its top lieutenants as it attempts to better tie together its video and mobile services.
The Dallas telecommunications giant appointed longtime mobile head Ralph de la Vega vice chairman and put him in charge of the business and international parts of the company. John Stankey, who previously ran the DirecTV, Internet and TV units, will also take on the mobility business as CEO of the entertainment group. Both will continue to report to CEO Randall Stephenson. The announcement was made to employees Friday, the company confirmed.
AT&T's mobile headquarters are in Atlanta (pictured), but the company's overall home base is in Dallas.
The reshuffling comes as AT&T attempts to transform itself into a company that can provide you with a combination of wireless, TV, home security and smart-home services, as well as connect your car and medical devices and even your city. By putting Stankey in charge of broadband, TV and mobility business, the company hopes to provide a better bundle of services.
"Increasingly, consumers want all three services to work together seamlessly so they can access their favorite content on any device, anywhere, anytime," the company said in an email.
Some of the two executives' responsibilities will be swapped. The consumer aspects of the nation's second-largest wireless provider will fall under Stankey.
De la Vega will be responsible for the business parts and run the Mexico wireless unit. From Stankey, he gets DirecTV's operations in Latin America. As part of the shift, de la Vega will move from the company's mobile business in Atlanta to the Dallas headquarters.
Glenn Lurie, who in 2014 was promoted to CEO of AT&T's consumer mobility business, will report to Stankey. Alongside de la Vega, Lurie has been the face of the mobile business and has spearheaded the company's efforts to provide connected services to devices beyond the phone.