Covad Management Team
President and Chief Executive Officer
Biography
Patrick (Pat) Bennett brings to Covad more than 20 years of successful sales development and management expertise. After joining Covad in 2001, Mr. Bennett developed Covad's direct sales division into a significant revenue channel and led the company's product development and management teams in the development of Covad's VoIP and wireless initiatives.
Prior to joining Covad, Mr. Bennett was senior vice president of marketing and product development for TESSCO Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of wireless communication solutions.
Prior to TESSCO, Mr. Bennett was executive vice president and chief operating officer of Rogers Wireless, Inc., and was instrumental in driving significant improvements in all operating metrics of the business.
Preceding Rogers Wireless, Mr. Bennett held increasingly senior roles in sales and marketing at Sprint PCS, Cellular One, Communications Electronics, Inc., and American Beeper Associates.
Prior to joining Covad, Mr. Bennett was senior vice president of marketing and product development for TESSCO Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of wireless communication solutions.
Prior to TESSCO, Mr. Bennett was executive vice president and chief operating officer of Rogers Wireless, Inc., and was instrumental in driving significant improvements in all operating metrics of the business.
Preceding Rogers Wireless, Mr. Bennett held increasingly senior roles in sales and marketing at Sprint PCS, Cellular One, Communications Electronics, Inc., and American Beeper Associates.
Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Biography
Doug Carlen oversees legal, regulatory and legislative affairs. He possesses a deep knowledge of the business and regulatory environments in which Covad operates.
Mr. Carlen previously served as Vice President, Corporate and Legal Affairs and has been a key part of Covad's legal team since September 1999. Before joining Covad, he was with Greene Radovsky Maloney & Share, where he specialized in corporate law.
He holds a bachelors degree from the University of Southern California and received his law degree from Hastings College of the Law.
Mr. Carlen previously served as Vice President, Corporate and Legal Affairs and has been a key part of Covad's legal team since September 1999. Before joining Covad, he was with Greene Radovsky Maloney & Share, where he specialized in corporate law.
He holds a bachelors degree from the University of Southern California and received his law degree from Hastings College of the Law.
Chief Operations Officer
Biography
Brett Flinchum manages Covad's Operations organization which includes Customer Operations, Network Services and Technology, Software and Information Systems, and Project Management.
Since joining Covad in 1999, Mr. Flinchum has held increasingly senior management positions in customer operations and strategic planning. During his tenure, Mr. Flinchum led the team that established the first working line-sharing DSL service in the U.S. and led Covad's first-to-market consumer ADSL offering.
Prior to Covad, Mr. Flinchum served as part of a change management, turn-around organization at U.S. West, now Qwest Communications, where he was responsible for re-architecting the business, repositioning the cost structure, and improving customer satisfaction. Prior to U.S. West, Mr. Flinchum was with First Union Corporation, now Wachovia, First Citizens Bank, and IBM.
Mr. Flinchum holds a BA in Economics from Davidson College, North Carolina, and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Since joining Covad in 1999, Mr. Flinchum has held increasingly senior management positions in customer operations and strategic planning. During his tenure, Mr. Flinchum led the team that established the first working line-sharing DSL service in the U.S. and led Covad's first-to-market consumer ADSL offering.
Prior to Covad, Mr. Flinchum served as part of a change management, turn-around organization at U.S. West, now Qwest Communications, where he was responsible for re-architecting the business, repositioning the cost structure, and improving customer satisfaction. Prior to U.S. West, Mr. Flinchum was with First Union Corporation, now Wachovia, First Citizens Bank, and IBM.
Mr. Flinchum holds a BA in Economics from Davidson College, North Carolina, and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Senior Vice President and General Manager, Branded Services
Biography
Lee Gopadze oversees the sales, marketing, product management, and operations of the Covad branded services business unit.
Lee Gopadze has had an active and varied career in wireless telecommunications since the early days of cellular. He has held a variety of senior executive positions in Marketing, Sales and Operations at the wireless subsidiaries of Metromedia Telecommunications (CellularOne), Southwestern Bell, and AirTouch Communications (PacTel Teletrac).
From 1997 though 2000 Lee served as a member of the executive team of Metricom Inc. and as Senior Vice President - Operations. In 2000 Lee left Metricom to found the broadband wireless carrier SkyRiver Communications Inc. After serving as its CEO and President, Lee left in 2003 to found Broadband Initiatives LLC, a consulting firm in broadband telecommunications.
Starting in 2005, Lee had been responsible for the integration of wireless services into Covad's access product line and acted as the principal architect for Covad's wireless strategy. He has most recently served as General Manager of Covad Wireless.
Lee Gopadze has had an active and varied career in wireless telecommunications since the early days of cellular. He has held a variety of senior executive positions in Marketing, Sales and Operations at the wireless subsidiaries of Metromedia Telecommunications (CellularOne), Southwestern Bell, and AirTouch Communications (PacTel Teletrac).
From 1997 though 2000 Lee served as a member of the executive team of Metricom Inc. and as Senior Vice President - Operations. In 2000 Lee left Metricom to found the broadband wireless carrier SkyRiver Communications Inc. After serving as its CEO and President, Lee left in 2003 to found Broadband Initiatives LLC, a consulting firm in broadband telecommunications.
Starting in 2005, Lee had been responsible for the integration of wireless services into Covad's access product line and acted as the principal architect for Covad's wireless strategy. He has most recently served as General Manager of Covad Wireless.
Chief Technology Officer
Biography
Aamir Hussain brings a broad and diverse technology background in data, voice, and wireless to the role of Chief Technology Officer. With more than 20 years of professional experience, he oversees the combined Broadband Technology (BBT) and Network Services team at Covad.
Prior to joining Covad, Mr. Hussain served as the Vice President of National Planning, Engineering and Capital Management for Telus Communications, the largest telecommunications company in Western Canada. His proven track record enabled him to mitigate business and operational risks nationwide, while incrementally increasing network capacity to meet business growth. Prior to joining Telus, Mr. Hussain honed his skills in a variety of senior technology positions first with BellSouth, followed by a position as the Senior Director of Technology at Qwest.
Mr. Hussain received his degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of South Florida and a masters degree from Georgia Institute of Technology and holds 10 patents.
Prior to joining Covad, Mr. Hussain served as the Vice President of National Planning, Engineering and Capital Management for Telus Communications, the largest telecommunications company in Western Canada. His proven track record enabled him to mitigate business and operational risks nationwide, while incrementally increasing network capacity to meet business growth. Prior to joining Telus, Mr. Hussain honed his skills in a variety of senior technology positions first with BellSouth, followed by a position as the Senior Director of Technology at Qwest.
Mr. Hussain received his degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of South Florida and a masters degree from Georgia Institute of Technology and holds 10 patents.
Chief Information Officer
Biography
Cornelia Pool is responsible for Covad's information technology strategy, ensuring that Covad optimizes its investment in IT and enables the transformation of the business through high levels of automation. Ms. Pool has responsibility for the Covad Software organization and Corporate Services department.
Ms. Pool comes to Covad with almost two decade's experience in information technology and has gained a wide variety of expertise in all elements of the systems lifecycle from strategy through implementation and operations.
Prior to joining Covad in 2000, Ms. Pool served on a team that implemented an information management system that enabled order-to-cash systems for a Virtual ISP provider, Laserlink.net Inc. Before joining Laserlink.net, Ms Pool spent eleven years in the Information Technology sector in South Africa. She implemented POS and replenishment systems for Pep, Southern Africa's best known chain of retail stores with over 1000 stores, and managed software solutions for Bonita, now Parmalat South Africa. She spent her early career with the Western Cape Provincial Administration working on Hospital Systems on mainframes and implemented first generation client-server solutions. She also developed most of the systems for Government Motor Vehicles Department of which some were used nationwide.
Ms. Pool attended Technikon Free State (now Central University of Technology, Free State) in South Africa.
Ms. Pool comes to Covad with almost two decade's experience in information technology and has gained a wide variety of expertise in all elements of the systems lifecycle from strategy through implementation and operations.
Prior to joining Covad in 2000, Ms. Pool served on a team that implemented an information management system that enabled order-to-cash systems for a Virtual ISP provider, Laserlink.net Inc. Before joining Laserlink.net, Ms Pool spent eleven years in the Information Technology sector in South Africa. She implemented POS and replenishment systems for Pep, Southern Africa's best known chain of retail stores with over 1000 stores, and managed software solutions for Bonita, now Parmalat South Africa. She spent her early career with the Western Cape Provincial Administration working on Hospital Systems on mainframes and implemented first generation client-server solutions. She also developed most of the systems for Government Motor Vehicles Department of which some were used nationwide.
Ms. Pool attended Technikon Free State (now Central University of Technology, Free State) in South Africa.
Chief Financial Officer
Biography
Jeff Bailey currently serves as CFO with responsibility for all financial, accounting, human resources, and corporate development activities within Covad, and brings to his position more than 30 years of financial management experience.
Prior to Covad, Mr. Bailey served as vice president for Platinum Equity, helping to manage the Platinum portfolio of companies. Mr. Bailey previously has held positions as CEO at Gupta Technologies, CFO at Vivant Corporation, CFO at Phoenix Network, and senior financial management positions at a number of high technology companies.
Prior to Covad, Mr. Bailey served as vice president for Platinum Equity, helping to manage the Platinum portfolio of companies. Mr. Bailey previously has held positions as CEO at Gupta Technologies, CFO at Vivant Corporation, CFO at Phoenix Network, and senior financial management positions at a number of high technology companies.
Platinum Equity is a global M&A&O® firm specialized in the merger, acquisition and operation of companies that provide services and solutions to customers in a broad range of business markets, including information technology, software, telecommunications, logistics, manufacturing, metals services and distribution. Since its founding in 1995 by entrepreneur Tom Gores, Platinum Equity has completed more than 75 acquisitions with more than $23 billion in aggregate annual revenue at time of acquisition.