Rural broadband service provider Xplore Inc. announced Monday the appointment of Brent Johnston as its new CEO, effective immediately, following the departure of former CEO Rizwan Jamal earlier this year.
Xplore also announced Monday its chief financial officer, Geoff Lowe, who recently served as the company’s interim CEO, has been promoted to the position of president and chief financial officer (CFO).
A veteran of the Canadian telecom industry, Johnston previously served as president of wireless services at Rogers Communications, senior managing director at Apple Canada, and senior vice president of consumer marketing and vice president of mobility solutions at Telus.
“We are excited to welcome Brent, whose proven leadership and expertise in the telecommunications industry will help accelerate growth at Xplore,” Fran Shammo, chairman of Xplore’s board of directors, said in a company press release. “We want to congratulate Geoff on his promotion to President & CFO and thank him for his contributions over the past several months in the role of Interim CEO.”
“It is an honour to join the talented team at Xplore,” Johnston said. “Having grown up in rural Canada, my commitment to our mission and customers is personal. I understand the needs of Canadians living and working in rural communities and I am looking forward to working with Geoff and team to bring next generation Internet service to our customers in the rural communities that matter so much to me.”
Johnston’s appointment comes after Xplore’s completion in October of a comprehensive recapitalization, with more than $1.6 billion of new funding committed through both private investment and several federal and provincial government broadband programs. The new investment is intended to support the expansion of Xplore’s next generation fibre-to-the-home network in underserved Canadian markets and upgrades to its 5G fixed wireless networks.
Photo of Brent Johnston borrowed from his LinkedIn profile
