September 1, 2010

Cable Fax: 2010 Most Influential Minorities in Cable: Regional Executives

By Steve Donohue

Maria Arias

VP/GM, Southern Colorado Region, Comcast

A native of Mexico, Arias has a background in law and was hired by Comcast as VP of Operations. She manages 275 employees serving 131K subs. Arias was selected as a fellow for WICT’s Betsy Magness Executive Leadership Class and won the Rocky Mountain WICT Chapter Woman to Watch award.

Wally Bakare

VP, Operations, Mid-Ohio Division Time Warner Cable

Through July, Bakare had helped reduce the number of service call visits by 25% compared to the same period last year. "My biggest challenge is discovering new ways to motivate the 900 employees under my direction to provide each customer they interact with the best possible experience," he says. "To accomplish this, we’ve placed a keen focus on addressing employee concerns. We believe that satisfied employees will lead to satisfied customers."

Favorite Destination: "Montreal, Canada. This has become an annual destination for me during the International Jazz Festival. Montreal has the look and feel of Western European cities without having to cross the Atlantic."

Favorite Cuisine: "Seafood."

Phyllis Batson

VP, Customer Care, Greater Chicago Region, Comcast

Batson has more than 30 years experience in customer service, including posts at Sears, Northwest Airlines and Cablevision. She now runs five call centers for Comcast.

Best Books: Call Center Management on Fast Forward by Brad Cleveland and The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey.

Best Social Media Tool: "LinkedIn gives you an exponential look at networking — sometimes in ways you can’t imagine. Plus, today people rarely stay in one role or with one company for their career."

Favorite Destination: "Italy. I’ve been there 14 times. My goal is to hit every region."

Paul Biava

VP of Operations, Central New Jersey Comcast

Two of the Central NJ areas Biava oversees achieved the best and fifth-best improvement in Comcast’s Think Customer First rankings for all systems nationwide. "Nothing measures how well we are doing with our customers more than this metric and it’s the proudest accomplishment we have," Biava says.

Best Hotel for Business: "Hampton Inn."

Favorite Destinations: "Colombia. I was born in Medellin. My other favorite is Cartagena, a city by the Caribbean that has both an old city, built in the 1700s, and a beach that’s full of excitement. It’s also where I told my future wife that we were going to be married, so it’s a special place!"

Todd F. Brown

VP, Western Division Comcast Networks

Brown’s team has surpassed goals each year since he joined Comcast in 2006. His biggest challenge is "traveling across the country to connect with MSO GMs and VPs of marketing," he says. "Logging miles and being a brand energizer weekly takes stamina."

Favorite Destination: "Alaska. I had the privilege of visiting the GCI fishing cabin that now unfortunately is in the news due to the death of Sen. Ted Stevens and others. It’s one of the most beautiful places on the planet. The fishing and connection with nature are unbelievably breathtaking."

Craig Collins

SVP, Commercial Sales and Marketing Time Warner Cable

Collins and his team of 2,500 Business Class employees drove a 7% increase in video, 11% uptick in data and a 100% rise in voice revenue for Time Warner Cable’s commercial services during Q1. "While there is a lot of room to grow, we have made great strides over the last year as a business," he says. "It’s a marathon not a sprint."

Favorite Travel Destination: "Maui, the beach, the weather and the golf."

Favorite Food: "Filet medium; baked potato with butter and chives, broccoli and bread pudding for dessert."

Marsha Conaway

Regional VP, Midwest Time Warner Cable

Conaway is responsible for directing the HR function for nearly 10K employees encompassing the regional office and five divisions. She leads the region’s mentoring program, serves on Time Warner Cable’s Diversity Committee, is treasurer of NAMIC’s board and is board member of the NAMIC Foundation.

G. Wayne Davis

VP, HR, Comcast California Region

A 23-year human resources veteran, Davis is responsible for more than 7K employees. He also negotiates labor agreements and deals with vendors and suppliers. He says his biggest challenge is "finding and placing the most talented professionals into key positions."

Favorite Destinations: "Maui, Hawaii, Kapalua Beach. One of the world’s best beach locations paired with one of the world’s best golf courses."

Best Business Book Read: Execution by Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan. "The book speaks clearly to results-driven professionals."

Favorite Food: "Grilled teriyaki salmon. No better taste on Earth!"

Dianne Earley

VP, Media Sales Cox Media

Earley has revamped Cox Media’s ad-sales operations. "Our organization has undergone significant transformation over the past two years in an effort to create efficiencies and take advantage of economies of scale," says Cox Manager of Marketing and Research Patrick Castro. "She has managed the centralization, standardization and optimization changes with great transparency, providing effective and responsible leadership throughout these times of change."

Biggest Accomplishment in Last Year: "Merged two strong, diverse organizations, located in two unique geographic markets into one high performing team."

Favorite Destination: Nemacolin Woodlands Spa in Southwestern Pennsylvania. "It represents total physical, mental and spiritual relaxation, and sometimes I need that."

Favorite Book: The Heart of Change by John P. Kotter. "It is a source of relatable, real-life stories about how people (not processes) facilitate change in organizations."

Henry Ford

SVP/GM, Fox Sports Ohio

The sole African-American to head an RSN for Fox, Ford led Fox Sports Ohio to its top NBA season ratings in ’08-09 and ’09-10.

Biggest Accomplishment in ’10: "Finding time to be a mentor, impart my experiences and perspectives to help someone navigate and subsequently advance their career."

Best Business Book Read: " Good to Great by Jim Collins, which focuses on leadership."

Favorite Travel Destination: "San Francisco. My adopted second home after my hometown of NY. So many special friends, and the Bay Area is such a beautiful place to live and visit."

Cool: NCTA vet Pam Ford is Henry’s proud sister.

Henry "Hank" Fore

Regional VP, Oregon and SW Washington Comcast

With a team of nearly 2,000 employees in Washington and SW Washington, Fore oversees one of Comcast’s premiere markets. It’s consistently called on to test and pilot products and services. He’s a recent graduate of NAMIC’s Executive Leadership Development Program, where he was chosen as class speaker.

Best Business Book Read: Good to Great.

Favorite Travel Destination: "The back country of Idaho."

Favorite Food: "French fries. I’m addicted to them."

Ricky Frazier

VP of Customer Care, Indianapolis Region Comcast

Frazier has risen from Call Center Supervisor to VP of Customer Care in his seven years at Comcast. "His motivating leadership style and his dedication to delivering a superior customer experience were immediately recognized, catapulting him to a position that helps shape customer service delivery for the entire company," a Comcast exec says.

Johnnie Giles

Regional VP, Government Affairs, California Region Comcast

Giles manages Comcast’s governmental affairs in CA. His advice for those trying to get into cable: "Cable is a great place to build a career but like any professional endeavor, you need to bring with you a passion for collaboration, a focus on personal accountability, a perspective that embraces inclusion and a commitment to doing the best job possible."

Favorite Destination: "Hawaii. My family has deep roots there and it always feels like home when I land."

Favorite Foods: "Musubi, Wing Dings, Plate lunch, Lau Lau, Kahlua Pork and yes, even Poi."

Steve Gillenwater

President, HR, Southern Division, Comcast

An 18-year cable human resources veteran, Gillenwater is responsible for more than 20K employees serving nearly 6mln subs in 12 states.

Biggest Challenge: "To reset the performance standards of an established group. This is about rejuvenation and refocus of a collection of talented individuals and transforming them into an engaged, thoughtful and strong leadership team responsible for the company’s most important asset — our human capital."

Favorite Travel Destination: "Kona, Hawaii. Arriving on the island for the first time caused me to reflect on just how far I had traveled both literally and professionally from my upbringing in Detroit."

Princell Hair

SVP of News Operations Comcast Sports Group

That blur you see in airports might be Princell Hair, the veteran journalist who’s responsible for content and talent decisions for 14 regional networks reaching more than 50mln HHs in eight of the top markets. Before joining Comcast in 2008, he ran CNN’s daily news operations and coordinated the local news coverage for 39 Viacom TV stations. While his day job would be taxing enough, he also serves on the Board of Visitors for Florida A&M’s school of journalism, is an adjunct lecturer at Drexel and is a double threat on drums and saxophone.

Chuck Harris

VP, Engineering Time Warner Cable

Harris led the expansion to more than 100 HD channels on Time Warner Cable systems nationwide and oversees strategy and tactical oversight for all engineering functions. He’s tutored youth through the company’s Time to Read program, and helped grow a golf tournament for cancer survivors and their families from 16 to more than 240 golfers.

Favorite Travel Destination: "Currently it is to my Michigan home to be with my family. I’ve been on the road for a number of years, and it’s wonderful to be with old family and friends, to relive good times and develop new ones."

Favorite Food: "Nothing is as good as a piece of chocolate caramel peanut butter pie to finish off a nice meal."

Darrel Hegar

Regional VP, Operations, Time Warner Cable Carolinas

Hegar manages operations across four states with nearly 4,000 employees, and has helped standardize customer care operations. "Standardization helps us deliver a consistent, high-quality customer experience," he says. "The changes implemented have improved customer satisfaction and our cost structure, which ultimately returns shareholder value."

The Key to Growing Subs: "Offering attractive products in a bundle, providing great customer service and intelligently adjusting to our competitive landscape."

Favorite Food: "Sushi. It tastes great, is healthier for you and I never leave feeling I’ve over-indulged."

Toni Holland

VP, HR, Wisconsin Time Warner Cable

A 17-year veteran of Kraft, Holland saw the light and joined the cable industry in 2008. "Toni is the glue that holds TWC-Wisconsin together," says regional VP Tom Adams. "She successfully led the local roll-out of our values, the delicate people side of regionalization and fine-tuned our leadership development process to reach younger and more diverse talent," Adams adds. "She is a gifted coach and savvy broker of difficult conversations."

Marge Jackson

VP of Marketing West Division, Comcast

East Side, West Side. It makes no difference to Jackson, who led marketing strategy for Comcast’s Eastern Division, arguably the most competitive location in cable. She relocated recently to California, bringing her family with her.

Best Business Book Read: " Winning During Turbulence by Darrell Rigby."

Best Social Media Tool: "LinkedIn."

Best Hotel: "Marriott. The employees take a tremendous amount of pride and ownership in their roles, which ultimately translates into superior customer service. I have insight into this brand as my son-in law is one of their top leaders."

Rich Jennings

VP of Fulfillment, Freedom Region, Comcast

Jennings’ territory includes the Philadelphia area, giving him the unique challenge of serving Comcast’s corporate team. He leads 3,500 employees in one of the most competitive regions in the country. Jennings mentors young professionals through WICT and the L. Patrick Mellon program.

Ajit J. Joy

SVP, Strategy and Product Development, Comcast

Joy’s team is launching Comcast’s mobile application for the iPhone platform. "The latest generation of mobile platforms offer a great way to extend the value of home-based services to our customers," Joy says. He also directs development and product roadmaps for Comcast Digital Voice, SmartZone and other key products.

Best Business Book Read: "Carl Shapiro and Hal Varian’s Information Rules is a must-have book for those in the information industries. While technology changes constantly, the underlying business economics have not changed at all."

Favorite Food: "Indian food, for the unending choices and stimulating tastes."

Charlene Keys

Area VP, S. Carolina Time Warner Cable

Keys helped the South Carolina operation move from last to second at Time Warner Cable for Live Agent Service Level. She coaches women and minorities aspiring to advance and co-sponsored an employee network designed to assist women exploring technical and engineering aspects of the business.

Filemon Lopez

Regional SVP, South Florida Region, Comcast

When you’re among cable folk, you need only say the word "Filemon" and everyone knows who you mean. The always upbeat Lopez and his team serve nearly 1mln subs. He’s also a board member of the Institute for Executive Leadership on Diversity at Rutgers University and the recipient of many awards, including Comcast’s President Award and the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement Salute to Excellence Award.

Challenge Ahead: "Managing multiple priorities and customer expectations."

Favorite Destination: Africa. "A variety of cultures and environments along with plenty of wildlife."

Most Valuable Social Media Tool for Business: Twitter. "Immediate communication."

Favorite Food: Italian. "Lots of great flavors and pairings with wine."

Rodrigo Lopez

Market VP, Mountain Region, Comcast

Lopez leads 1,250 employees in Utah and Arizona. In the last year, his team delivered its best results in a variety of operational, customer and financial metrics and was nominated for Comcast System of the Year.

Favorite Travel Destination: Dana Point, CA. "Sun, fun, relaxation, great food and great friends."

Best Business Book Read: The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins. "It’s a reminder that we always have to look at what we do with a different perspective, frequently reassessing to ensure we don’t become complacent or obsolete in a very dynamic industry."

Ralph Martinez

VP, San Francisco Bay Area, Comcast

Martinez oversees one of cable’s most prominent territories, keeping Silicon Valley subs from cutting the cord on cable. How does he retain those tech-savvy subs? "Comcast’s vision is to provide our customers with the entertainment they love anytime, anywhere," he says. "So I direct them to Fancast Xfinity TV, where they can access content from their cable subscription packages online or on mobile devices at no additional cost."

Favorite Destination: "Italy, because of its amazing food, diversity of the regional cultures and picturesque architecture and landscape."

Favorite Food: "My mom’s green chile enchiladas."

Gary McCollum

VP, GM Cox Communications, VA

Before becoming one of Cox’s key regional officials, McCollum served eight years as an intelligence officer in the Army. The soft-spoken McCollum also served with the Army Rangers and currently is a Major in the Reserves.

Biggest Challenge: "Getting the right people in the right jobs doing the right things, all in a constantly changing environment."

Best Business Book Read: What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith & Mark Reiter. "It’s a great reminder how we must constantly grow and change if we are to be successful."

Comfort Food: "Anything Italian!"

Charlon McIntosh

VP, Customer Care, Mile High Region, Comcast

One of the industry’s leading customer care gurus, McIntosh oversees service for 1mln subs in Colorado and New Mexico.

Best Business Book Read: Fire Them Up by Carmine Gallo. "This book reveals simple yet profound secrets for using one’s values and vision to motivate, inspire and influence people to achieve success. I love the stories from real-life heads of business on how they fire-up their employees and achieve success by being inspiring leaders. I truly believe that the most effective leaders are those who create a clear vision for their organization and use that vision to inspire others to be successful."

Favorite Travel Spot: "I love the Caribbean. My parents are from Trinidad and when I travel to the islands I feel like I get the opportunity to reconnect with the traditions and culture of my ancestors."

Best Business Hotel: "I like the Hyatt Place. It’s always a safe bet. Rooms are clean, modern and large (they have a separate sitting area). Check-in and check-out is convenient, and customer service is always good."

Zinah Mineyahl

VP, Customer Care Comcast

An immigrant from Ethiopia, Mineyahl started in cable as a service technician. He now runs customer care in Comcast’s Houston region, leading a team of 900 employees. Mineyahl implemented an improvement plan that has the Houston call center performing at a level that has allowed it to curtail the use of outside CSR firms. "This has resulted in significant savings to the company, improved service to our customers and increased sales," says Comcast VP of Government and Public Relations Ray Purser.

Janet Parker

VP, HR Time Warner Cable

Parker implemented multiple diversity and inclusion councils across Time Warner Cable with the goal of raising awareness and supporting the company’s focus on inclusion. "My team provides business strategies that will influence employee engagement and satisfaction," she says.

Best Business Book: First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman. "It didn’t approach business principles from a provincial perspective, but challenged the reader to think broadly."

Favorite Destination: "Paris, because of the mixture of cultures, the diversity of architecture, history and variety of experiences the city offers."

Michael Parker

VP of Operations, Greater Chicago Region Comcast

Comcast promoted Parker from VP at its Connecticut and New York division to run operations in Chicago, which counts 7K employees and more than 2mln subs. Soon after his promotion, engineering was added to his portfolio.

Best Business Book Read: How The Mighty Fall by Jim Collins. "This book teaches leaders if they can understand the stages of decline then they can react quickly and respond."

Favorite Destination: Hawaii.

Favorite Food: "Sushi. Not only is it healthy, but there is a wide variety from which to choose."

Steve Paulus

Regional VP/GM Local News Division Time Warner Cable

Paulus launched a 24-hour news channel in New York’s Hudson Valley in April, and has been working to integrate news channels in Austin and North Carolina into the Local News Division. "This has resulted in increased sharing of content. An example would be our From the Floor segment at The New York Stock Exchange," he says. "We are now providing hourly live updates from the Exchange to all of our news channels."

Can Cable Become The Dominant Local News Provider? "In the markets we have established news channels, we are already well on our way."

Steve Thomas

Area VP, City of Chicago Greater Region, Comcast

Thomas oversees the largest city where Comcast is the incumbent operator. "I am especially proud that we have improved the productivity of our technicians by 17% year over year," he says.

Favorite Destination: "My family and I have been to Disney World eight times in the past 10 years. We love the energy, the atmosphere and most important, the customer service. I left my kids’ diaper bag in the hotel on one visit. Rather than allow me to go back to the hotel, Disney gave me a kit with diapers, baby powder and everything else we might need. And it was free!"

Jacqui Vines

SVP/GM Greater Louisiana, Cox

Vines faces competition from three pay TV providers in Louisiana, including a very entrenched ILEC. "Keeping our troops focused on taking their customers and retaining ours is challenging. But as a former athlete, I know that when you are on your A Game, no one can stop you," she says.

Most Valuable Social Media Tool: "Our system is committed to utilizing Facebook to communicate with customers, supplementing traditional media efforts. Personally, I believe in the power of picking up the phone and having a sincere conversation. It may be old school, but the phone is still a great business tool."

Vineet Wadhwa

VP, Finance Mid-Ohio Division Time Warner Cable

Wadhwa led efforts to devise a strategy to better manage customer bills when a promotional campaign expired. The strategy, which included a multi-layered customer notification and education process, has driven cash flow in 2010. It has also reduced customer disconnects/downgrades and lowered inbound call volume by 70%.

Favorite Destination: Pune, India. "That is where most of my extended family lives. Otherwise, it’s Disney World, where everyone can be a kid."

Favorite Cuisine: Japanese food. "A typical Japanese steakhouse is a combination of great food, ambience and festive atmosphere."

Emory Walton III

VP, Distribution, Field Sales, West, AETN

Walton negotiates carriage deals at the local and regional levels for AETN’s portfolio of 10 networks.

Recent Accomplishments: "Receiving an MBA and graduating with top honors while still working full time. I also have been a strong advocate for leveraging AETN’s foreign-language portfolio, initiating a new strategy to distribute the content domestically."

Favorite Travel Destinations: "Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands. My family is there. I enjoy the weather, the ocean, and the ability to get away and relax (no Blackberry reception)."

Best Business Book Read: The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization by Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith.

Steve White

President, West Division Comcast

White’s division drives about $9bln in annual revenue as it serves 6mln customers.

Most Recent Accomplishment: "Being entrusted to lead one of the most important businesses in Comcast’s portfolio...It’s an amazing opportunity to lead the West Division’s 20,000 employees."

Best Business Book: Winning by Jack Welch, "because it offers practical advice and practices from a real world leader who took GE to great heights."

Favorite Destination: Maui, Hawaii. "Consistently good weather, down time and a great opportunity to reconnect with my lovely wife."

Vin Zachariah

VP, Ops, NE Ohio and Western PA Time Warner Cable

Zachariah’s territory was Time Warner Cable’s top-ranked system in customer satisfaction in a recent survey.

Biggest Challenge: "Creating a culture that makes all 900K-plus of our customers and 2K-plus employees feel like every interaction is personal, that we care and that it’s not just a part of a big process."

Best Hotel for Business: "Anything with a good workout room."

Favorite Food: "Buffalo wings. I went to school in upstate NY, and I’ve spent the last 20 years eating them and cooking them. Our own Iron Chef in Cleveland, Michael Symon, has my favorite recipe right now, which includes Sriracha sauce. Not for the faint-hearted."