Verizon’s all-digital prepaid brand Visible is getting a new leader with the appointment of industry veteran Angie Klein as the company’s new CEO.
She replaces Miguel Quiroga, who was appointed SVP - Platforms & Ecosystems, reporting to Verizon Consumer Group EVP and CEO Ronan Dunne.
The Nebraska native is a 20-year veteran of Verizon, with experience running the gamut, from positions in product development, brand and creative strategy to call center and retail operations, as well as consumer experience design.
Her most recent position was SVP of Consumer Segment Marketing, where she led value proposition development and pricing across Verizon’s consumer postpaid and prepaid mobile businesses, along with consumer-focused Verizon Fios and 5G Home offerings.
She will report to Frank Boulben, chief revenue officer, Verizon Consumer Group. Her new appointment takes effect May 27.
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“Angie has left an indelible mark on Verizon, with groundbreaking consumer initiatives including Mix and Match and our award-winning Verizon Up loyalty program,” Dunne said in a statement. “With her proven track record in driving growth and creating customer awareness, combined with her unmatched expertise on the Verizon brand, she is uniquely poised to lead Visible into the future.”
Quiroga will lead the newly formed Platforms & Ecosystems team, which, according to the company, will amplify the Verizon Consumer Group’s growth agenda and accelerate its platform-driven strategy.
“Miguel deftly took Visible from an idea, and built from the ground up a cloud native ecommerce company and first-of-its-kind product and brand for the next generation of consumers,” Dunne stated. “He fostered and led the team through massive innovations including eSIM and Party Pay and remained focused on the customer-first strategy.”
Prepaid expansion
Visible is just one of Verizon’s prepaid brands, and it’s trying to dramatically increase its presence in prepaid with the acquisition of TracFone, the largest MVNO serving the prepaid space in the U.S. Last week, Verizon asked the FCC “move expeditiously to approve” the TracFone transaction, saying it will provide significant benefits to consumers that a standalone TracFone cannot.
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) union is one of the entities calling for closer scrutiny of the transaction. “A transaction this important should not be rushed,” CWA said this week. “Verizon should stop pressuring the FCC to rush through its review and let the Commission continue its important work.”
Among the conditions that CWA wants to see is a commitment by Verizon to participate in the Lifeline program for a minimum of five years, with at least the same level of geographic and service offerings as TracFone currently provides.