Above: Inge Smidts, new C&W CEO. Photo courtesy Liberty Global.
Cable & Wireless Communications (C&W) has announced the appointment of Inge Smidts as Chief Executive Officer. She is replacing John Reid who announced earlier this month that he will step down from the position of CEO in early 2018. Smidts joins C&W from Liberty Global where she most recently held the position of Chief Marketing Officer.
Prior to her role at Liberty Global, Smidts was Senior Vice President – Residential Marketing and a member of the Executive Team at Telenet Group. While there, she was responsible for Go-to-Market reporting and overseeing the commercial strategy for Telenet’s business.
Smidts has significant brand and marketing experience having spent over ten years earlier in her career at Procter & Gamble, where she started as Assistant Brand Manager and was regularly promoted, ultimately to Business Leader for the Benelux Paper business. Smidts holds a Master of Economics degree from UFSIA in Antwerp and an MBA in Marketing from the IAE in Aix-en-Provence.
Balan Nair, incoming President & CEO of Liberty Latin America said, “Inge is a proven executive that has delivered strong results throughout her career. We are excited that she has agreed to lead C&W and join the Liberty Latin America team next year once the split from Liberty Global is complete. I also want to thank John Reid for his many contributions to the company and facilitating a smooth transition.”
“Inge is a dynamic leader who has successfully driven financial performance and built capable teams,” said Betzalel Kenigsztein, Liberty Latin America’s Chief Operating Officer. “As we look to the future for C&W, we are confident that Inge is the right leader to help rebuild operations that were damaged by this year’s hurricanes and deliver growth for all our stakeholders.”
Smidts commented, “I am excited to take on the role of CEO at C&W and work with the new management team that will lead Liberty Latin America into the future. The prospects for C&W are bright and I look forward to leveraging my experiences at Liberty Global and Telenet to bring a commercial, marketing and customer-focus that will help deliver results.”
John Reid, C&W’s current CEO, will help ensure a seamless leadership transition until Smidts’ tenure begins in February 2018. Under the new Liberty Latin America management structure effective upon completion of the split-off from Liberty Global, Smidts will report to Betzalel Kenigsztein, Liberty Latin America’s COO.
