In January 2025, a new generation of leaders stepped into the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO), ready to drive operational excellence and innovation across organizations. As the backbone of their organizations, these COOs are set to navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing business landscape, ensuring sustainable growth and delivering exceptional results. Today, Operations Council will focus on 10 leaders that accepted the COO role this month.
Google Cloud Names Francis deSouza as New COO
Google Cloud has hired longtime top tech executive Francis deSouza as its new chief operating officer. Throughout deSouza’s nearly four-decade IT career, he’s held top positions including president of product and services for cybersecurity standout Symantec, and more recently CEO of biotechnology firm Illumina.
T-Mobile US Names Srinivasan Goplan as New COO
T-Mobile US appointed telecoms veteran Srinivasan Gopalan as its new COO to lead the company’s technology initiatives and go-to-market operations across its business and consumer divisions. He has been a member of T-Mobile’s board of directors since 2022. Gopalan brings extensive telecoms experience having served in roles at Bharti Airtel in India, and Vodafone and T-Mobile in the UK.
NPR Names Ryan Merkley as New COO
NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher announced that Ryan Merkley, an experienced executive leader with a strong commitment to civic institutions, will become NPR’s Chief Operating Officer. Before coming to NPR, Merkley was CEO of Conscience, a biotech non-profit that uses AI and collaborative science to address areas of market failure in drug development.
Hyundai Motor America Names Claudia Marquez as New COO
Claudia Márquez was named COO of Hyundai Motor America. Márquez will lead the company’s U.S. business operations and growth strategies, including sales, distribution, product line management and aftersales activities.
Comcast Names Steve Croney as New COO
Comcast Corporation announced that Steve Croney has been promoted to a newly created role as Chief Operating Officer for the domestic businesses of its Connectivity & Platforms segment that serves more than 32 million customers. As COO, Croney will lead the teams responsible for Comcast’s residential and commercial businesses in the US, including product strategy, sales and marketing, customer experience, field operations, and data analytics.
Weis Markets Names Bob Gleeson as New COO
Weis Markets announced the promotion of Bob Gleeson to chief operating officer. As COO, Gleeson will oversee Weis’ merchandising, marketing, advertising, store operations, information technology, asset protection and pharmacy departments. He will also oversee the grocer’s supply chain departments including distribution, transportation and manufacturing.
Vantage Drilling Names Williams Thomson as New COO
Vantage Drilling International has appointed Williams Thomson as the company’s COO. Thomson is currently Vantage’s chief commercial officer and CTO and has served the company since 2008, holding roles in project engineering, technical support, marketing and managed services.
Bandwidth Names Devesh Agarwal as New COO
Bandwidth Inc., a prominent enterprise cloud communications firm, has named Devesh Agarwal as its new Chief Operating Officer. Agarwal, who previously held the position on an interim basis since July 2024, brings a wealth of experience from his time at Oracle and other large organizations, as well as his role as Bandwidth’s Chief Software Strategy Officer since July 2022.
Sesame Workshop Names Joseph Giraldi as New COO
Sesame Workshop, the non-profit that produces Sesame Street, has named veteran digital media exec Joseph Giraldi as its new chief operating officer. Giraldi brings to Sesame Workshop wide experience in driving new business growth in digital media, including completing executive stints at Imax, Time Inc. and IBM.
Independent Bank Names Christopher Michaels as New COO
Independent Bank Corp. announced that it appointed Christopher Michaels as the organization’s new Chief Operating Officer. He has been with the firm for 12 years, served as the Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Independent Bank since January 2020.
Additional COO’s on the Move
COO’s on the Move: December 2024
0 Comments