FORA.tv Speaker - Ivan Seidenberg

Ivan Seidenberg, chairman and CEO of Verizon Communications, was instrumental in forming the company through a number of mergers and acquisitions, including Bell Atlantic and NYNEX (1997), GTE (2000), and MCI (2006). He also helped create what is now Verizon Wireless in 1999 by bringing together the assets of Bell Atlantic Mobile, GTE Wireless, and the US properties of Vodafone AirTouch.

Prior to the creation of Verizon, Mr. Seidenberg was chairman and CEO of Bell Atlantic and NYNEX. He began his communications career more than forty years ago as a cable splicer’s assistant. In 2007, President George W. Bush named Seidenberg to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, which advises the president on communications issues related to national security, emergency preparedness, and the protection of critical infrastructure. He is a member of The Paley Center for Media’s Board of Trustees.