- Zayo has named Sowmyanarayan Sampath as its new CEO, effective September 1
- Current CEO Steve Smith is retiring but will remain on the Board
- Sampath most recently served as CEO of Verizon Consumer
Sampath brings more than two decades of large-scale digital infrastructure experience, most recently serving as CEO of Verizon Consumer, after previously leading Verizon Business and Boston Consulting Group (BCG’s) global telecom practice for carriers across the world.
Fierce asked Recon Analytics principal Roger Entner if Sampath will be good in his new role as CEO of a mid- and long-haul fiber company when much of his experience has been related to consumer products.
Entner said Zayo is a business-to-business company and Sampath has tons of relationships in telecom, given that much of his experience was in the Verizon Business group.
“The relationships he built at Verizon Business are invaluable,” said Entner. “I think Sampath will do very well with Zayo. He has all the right relationships. He’s interfaced with all the data centers guys who are now his business parters again. I think it’s a good catch for Zayo.”
Non-compete clauses
It’s typical practice for C-Suite executives to sign non-compete clauses with their companies. For instance, it’s not known whether former AT&T Head of Network Chris Sambar had a non-compete with AT&T. But Sambar left that company in October 2024 and worked for a storage company for two years. Recently, T-Mobile announced that he would be joining the un-carrier in October 2026.
Fierce asked Entner if Sampath might be under a non-compete clause with Verizon, and whether Zayo could be just an interim job until Sampath can get back to one of the big three wireless carriers.
Entner said at Sampath’s level, his next step is as a CEO. “So he’s now CEO,” said Entner. “This is win for everybody involved.”
Steve Smith’s tenure
After his retirement on September 1, Smith will continue to serve as a member of Zayo’s board of directors.
According to the company’s announcement today, “Under Steve’s leadership, Zayo has evolved from an acquisition-built network operator into the largest independent digital infrastructure network provider and a powerhouse of connectivity serving AI companies and enterprises across the U.S.”
Smith, age 70, came to Zayo in October 2020. Previously, he was CEO of Equinix, but he resigned abruptly in January 2018. At the time Equinix said, “CEO Steve Smith has made the difficult decision to resign as CEO, and from the Equinix board of directors, after exercising poor judgment with respect to an employee matter.”
During his tenure at Equinix from 2007 to 2018, Smith led the data center company through a period of rapid expansion, growing revenue from roughly $400 million to $4.4 billion and overseeing more than 20 acquisitions.
"On behalf of the board, I want to thank Steve for his leadership and the important role he has played in strengthening Zayo’s market position,” said Kevin Turner, Chairman of Zayo’s board of directors. “Steve has sharpened Zayo's strategy and positioned the company for its next phase of growth. This planned transition reflects the strength of our business, the depth of our leadership team, and the board's confidence in the path ahead.”
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