BAI Communications, soon to be Boldyn Networks, unveils senior leadership structure of its US Organization
The company is integrating all four of its US businesses to become the dominant and most innovative neutral host communications infrastructure provider in the country.
BAI Communications (BAI), a world leader in shared communications infrastructure, soon to rebrand as Boldyn Networks (Boldyn)1, today announced the senior leadership structure for its US operation. The new leadership team will report to Christos Karmis, the recently appointed CEO of Boldyn’s US business.
Boldyn’s US division is combining its four US portfolio companies – Mobilitie, Signal Point Systems, Transit Wireless and ZenFi Networks – into a powerhouse brand that will become the dominant and most innovative neutral host provider nationwide. Boldyn will deliver critical 5G, Wi-Fi, private LTE, and fiber network connectivity to public transportation hubs, sports and entertainment venues, real estate properties, hospitality venues, military bases, smart cities, and more.
Spearheaded by a team of industry leaders, the US executive team will implement Boldyn’s vision for an interconnected future throughout the nation:
- Jason Caliento will be Chief Commercial Officer for continued growth across Boldyn’s US footprint, including partnerships with venues, cities, military service branches, and transit agencies, as well as expanding relationships and opportunities with US wireless carriers, cable providers, and enterprises. Caliento brings many years of experience leading the development of advanced network assets and services in partnership with operators and enterprises, including most recently during his tenure as Mobilitie’s CCO.
- Dana Tardelli has been named Chief Operating Officer and will oversee solutions, deployment, and operations nationally, including Boldyn’s national Network Operations Center (NOC), program management, asset management, as well as support tools and systems. As current COO of Mobilitie, Tardelli has successfully delivered large complex projects and grown a market-leading portfolio of tower, fiber, small cells, DAS and Wi-Fi networks throughout the US.
- Victoria Lamberth has been appointed Chief Development Officer – Connected Communities. Currently the Chief Revenue Officer at ZenFi Networks, Lamberth brings invaluable experience building dynamic digital infrastructure in the New York metropolitan market, including the innovative LinkNYC program. In her new role, Lamberth will be expanding Boldyn’s Connected Communities program nationally to help bridge the digital divide.
- Joel MacMillan will become Chief Financial Officer and will be responsible for overall financial performance, planning, reporting, analysis, and governance. MacMillian has over a decade of experience working across multiple BAI Group companies. He is currently BAI’s CFO for the UK & Europe business, has previously worked in Transit Wireless and will be relocating to the US for this role.
- Naomi Werner joins as Chief People Officer and brings extensive experience in global HR practices across a variety of sectors including technology, life sciences, medical devices, distribution, and financial services. Werner was most recently at Össur, a publicly traded medical devices company, where she served as Vice President, People. Werner will lead the US People and Culture team as well as local HR initiatives to ensure Boldyn is recognized as one of the best places to work in the industry.
- Kirstie Rickett has been appointed Chief Legal Officer and will lead the US Legal team, providing timely and proactive advice on a wide range of legal matters, including compliance with all legal and governance requirements and cybersecurity. Rickett was previously with T-Mobile, where she led legal teams focusing on network infrastructure at airports, stadiums, real estate, as well as transit systems in New York City, Washington D.C., and Chicago, resulting in solid relationships with stakeholders across all industry verticals and public private partnerships.
- Marc Rohleder will become VP of Technology Strategy and will be responsible for developing Boldyn’s US business approach and capabilities for next-generation infrastructure, including cellular, Wi-Fi, and private networks. This will include driving long-term strategies around core and edge network architecture, open and virtual RAN solutions, as well as connected transit and smart community connectivity. Rohleder’s experience with carriers, as well as his extensive background developing solutions for business customers, establishes him as a leader in designing networks and capabilities that address customers’ business challenges.
As one integrated company, Boldyn Networks in the US will play an increasingly critical role in improving people’s lives with enhanced connectivity in some of the largest cities in the nation. Given the importance of the New York metropolitan area and Northeast region for our business, and the magnitude of connectivity provided today by Transit Wireless and ZenFi Networks, we are announcing two key leadership positions in the market that will continue to focus on strengthening relationships with existing core customers, driving new business growth, and addressing the digital divide:
- Jeff Garte will become President, New York/New Jersey, and will lead a customer-focused strategy collaborating with carriers and enterprise customers on fiber networks, neutral host infrastructure including small cells and edge data center solutions to enable their growth plans. Currently the Chief Financial Officer for Transit Wireless, Garte brings years of experience in successfully expanding their customer base, geographic landscape, and bringing new product offerings to market.
- Patrick O’Hare, currently the Chief Operating Officer and a founding member of ZenFi Networks, will become Chief Operating Officer, New York/New Jersey. In his new role, O’Hare will be responsible for solution design engineering, network deployment, process, program management and field operations across Wi-Fi, DAS, small cells, fiber networks, towers, and edge data centers in the New York and New Jersey region. He has extensive experience overseeing the deployment and operations of thousands of wireless sites, including the largest free public outdoor Wi-Fi network in the country that currently provides critical connectivity and internet access to millions of people throughout New York.
“The US leadership team we’ve assembled is the single best group of executives and management team in our sector. They bring a wealth of cross-industry experiences that will allow us to amplify our support to our carrier, public and private sector customers with next generation infrastructure for connected transport, venues, smart places, military bases, and public safety services,” said Christos Karmis, CEO of the upcoming Boldyn Networks US business.
“Our unique expertise, technology leadership and global scale make us the best positioned shared infrastructure provider in the US marketplace, empowering us to deliver best-in-class connectivity solutions to our customers today and reimagining the smart places of tomorrow. I’m delighted to be supporting this exceptional team, which will help us accomplish our bold and ambitious goals.” Karmis added.
The new leadership team structure will take effect on July 1, 2023. By the end of June, BAI will rebrand in the Northern Hemisphere as Boldyn Networks, becoming a powerful global organization that will be even better positioned to design, fund, build, operate, and maintain high capacity, next-generation neutral host infrastructures for customers around the world.
1 BAI Group will be splitting from BAI Australia to become Boldyn Networks at the end of June and establishing its global headquarters in the Northern Hemisphere. The Australian business will continue to operate under the BAI brand for now. BAI Australia leads one of the most extensive broadcast networks in the world and is focused on expanding its telecommunications offering with the long-term vision of growing and scaling with customers to advance connectivity across Australia.