President

Posted on: 2006-04-22

DEBRA A. SWANN 1975 Glenwold Drive Home: 610 647-7139 Paoli, Pennsylvania 19301 [email protected] PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY Accomplished Senior Business Executive with extensive experience in setting strategies, delivering financial and operational results and leading organizations in a Fortune 15 Corporation. 10 years of marketing experience with 5 years in senior level positions. Managed and grew product line revenues exceeding $10B. Directed a $12B capital spending program. Ran a business subsidiary with annual sales of $140M. Demonstrated success in product development and management; financial and capital planning; and creative problem solving. Respected leader and communicator who motivated teams and set strategic direction through periods of corporate mergers and tumultuous industry change. WORK HISTORY VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS, INC. Philadelphia, PA 1976-2004 President – Verizon TeleProducts, Inc. 2004 Telecom equipment sales, packaging, and fulfillment subsidiary of Verizon Communications, Inc. with $140M in annual sales. Found new ways to continue net income contribution to Verizon Parent Corporation and meet day-to-day business operational challenges. Delivered $1M in net income. • Developed a new revenue source from the Verizon video business which produced approximately $1.5M annually. • Secured a position for Verizon TeleProducts in the high-speed data services delivery supply chain for fiber-to-the-premises (FIOS). • Planned the negotiation of a new 3-year labor agreement to meet the business needs for cost control and productivity. Negotiations successfully met cost and work rule changes identified in planning process. • Opened a new production line to increase warehouse shipping capacity for DSL modems, the primary revenue stream of the business, by 50% to approximately 17,000 units a day. Vice President, Capital Management – Verizon Domestic Telecom Finance 2002-2003 Charged with reducing the $12B capital spending program of the landline telecom portion of Verizon Communications. • Reduced domestic telecom capital spending by $5 billion which improved the CAPEX/revenue relationship by 35%. • Developed and executed a communication and reporting plan focused on aligning capital spending more closely with revenue generation. • Evaluated and made funding decisions to reduce traditional capital spending but fund strategic and technological initiatives such as DSL and FTTP. These initiatives resulted in new revenue streams and improved customer retention. • Created a tool to be used by the engineering teams at the detailed geographic planning level which displayed capital spending, revenue generation and competitive loss rates. It enabled engineers to make more effective local investment decisions. Vice President, Marketing Services – Verizon Retail Markets 2001-2002 Created a new organization that consolidated marketing support, regulatory relations and strategic market planning, while reducing costs and increasing efficiency and speed to market. • Consolidated staffs and reduced headcount by approximately 20%. • Improved marketing information and list generation efficiency through the initiation of a new marketing data warehouse. This reduced cycle time in executing new marketing initiatives and improved targeting. • Led the development of a strategic marketing plan that assessed the need to include video services in the bundle of services offered to improve market position. Video business entry has begun. • Focused regulatory awareness on marketing issues and brought about critical regulatory rule changes which improved small business marketing and pricing flexibility. Initiatives produced $19M of additional revenue. Vice President, Product Management – Verizon Consumer Markets 2000-2001 Managed a product portfolio with a $14B annual product revenue stream and a marketing budget that exceeding $40M. Integrated two corporate product lines and product management organizations following major corporate merger. • Defined marketing strategy and launched the first complete bundle of voice telephone services. The product penetration grew rapidly (12% penetration in less than one year) and became the basic building block of premium packages which followed. • Introduced new network products such as Call Intercept, Internet Call Manager and Talking Call Waiting, which added value to the existing product mix and grew revenue. • Reduced access line monthly losses in NY State, the first state to sustain significant competitive line loss, by introducing packaging and new products. Reduced revenue loss by approximately $1.5M per month. • Created merged consumer product management organization, lead effective team-building activities and developed comprehensive, integrated product strategies. Vice President, Consumer Voice Products – Bell Atlantic 1998-2000 Consolidated voice product management functions following a major corporate restructure. Led the organization into a competitive marketing environment, focused on customer retention and top line revenue growth. • Refocused product managers away from their own individual product sales to improved total top line revenue growth and customer retention. • Introduced the sale of a selected line of telephone sets into the main inbound sales channel, resulting in improved network product penetrations and growth in top-line revenue, ultimately to $13M annually. • Began the first product bundling efforts with the introduction of Call Pack and the local bundles at discounted prices. Strategy met critical regulatory pricing requirements without reducing revenue. • Developed long range, complementary product strategies for usage services, value-added services, regulated packages and inside wire maintenance plans to maximize revenue and minimize product cannibalization. Executive Director, Consumer Exchange and Toll Services 1997-1998 Developed and marketed products that lessened usage revenue losses until certain regulatory relief was obtained. • Increased 1998 product revenue by 1.5% year-over-year, despite competitive service entry by developing new calling plans and marketing initiatives. • Reduced toll service net monthly market share loss in key states by introducing new Optional Calling Plans, Winback and Sales activity and policy changes. • Created Sensible Choicesm media campaign for calling plans. • Increased Toll Calling Plan penetrations by 11% in 1998 in 3 major Toll states using focused sales and marketing initiatives. Positions of increasing responsibility in product management, finance and regulatory functions 1976-1997 Unique results during this period included: • Increased annual sales of additional lines in the residential market by 57% and 73% in 1995 and 1996 respectively using product specific marketing programs and effective channel incentives. • As Director of Investor Relations, communicated corporate strategies and guided earnings expectations through information to and discussions with the investor financial community. • Led the development of a corporate research plan while managing a team of research professionals. • Wrote and presented expert witness cost and pricing testimony in company rate cases. Successfully testified and was cross-examined during the regulatory process. EDUCATION M.A. Economics Temple University, Philadelphia, PA A.B. Economics Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa Participant in Economic Policy Seminar American University, Washington, D.C.