Channel Leaders In Flux As CenturyLink Announces Its Post-Level 3 Exec Lineup

CenturyLink has been busy making leadership changes that will go into effect once the company completes its planned acquisition of fellow telecom provider Level 3. The company on Thursday announced the new operational structure of the newly-combined company.

Once the merger is complete, the company will be organized into five business units, including strategic enterprise; federal government and state government; Global accounts management and international; Small and midsize business, and local government and education; Wholesale and indirect; and Consumer.

The presidents of each new business unit will be identifying their leadership team, which could include a potential shakeup to CenturyLink's channel leadership.

[Related: CenturyLink CEO Post To Be Succeeded By Level 3 CEO Storey]

Level 3's Senior Vice President of Wholesale and Alternate Channels and Asia Pac Region, Lisa Miller, has been named president of the new wholesale and indirect business unit for the combined company. CenturyLink told CRN that Miller will be responsible for CenturyLink's channel organization after the merger is complete.

When asked if the company's channel organization will still be led by Bill Corbin, senior vice president of strategic partnerships and channel operations and CenturyLink's channel chief John DeLozier, a CenturyLink spokesperson said that Miller, along with the other newly-announced leaders, "will be continuing the work of identifying their leadership teams."

Edward Morche, Level 3's former group vice president and current president of sales for Zayo Group -- a position he started in May -- will be returning to the company on July 5 as president of the strategic enterprise, federal government and state government unit.

Laurinda Pang, a current Level 3 executive, who was previously appointed to lead sales, revenue generation, and enterprise service delivery for the company's global accounts, has now been named president of global accounts management (GAM) and international.

Heading up the small and midsized business (SMB), and local government and education, as president of the unit, will be CenturyLink executive Vernon Irvin. Maxine Moreau, also a current CenturyLink executive, will remain in her role as president of the consumer business unit of the combined company.

CenturyLink earlier this month announced that Level 3's CEO Jeff Storey would be succeeding CenturyLink's current CEO Glen post following his retirement and after the merger is complete, effective Jan. 1, 2019. The presidents of each of the new business units will report to Storey, according to CenturyLink.

CenturyLink is slated to acquire Level 3 by Sept. 30, 2017, both companies said.

In April, CenturyLink also announced several new members of the leadership team that will be heading the company following the close of the acquisition. Level 3's Sunit Patel was named executive vice president and chief financial officer for the combined company.

The new company will stay headquartered in CenturyLink's current home in Monroe, Louisiana.

CenturyLink made headlines last week when published reports stated that the provider was reportedly conducting fraudulent billing practices when a former employee filed a wrongful termination lawsuit after being fired for bringing up her concerns with the company. On Sunday, a class-action suit was filed against CenturyLink seeking damages as high as $12 billion for its consumer customers.