Common Connections and Industry Experience Land Daniel Hesse Sprint CEO Position

After a two-month search to replace recently ousted Gary Forsee, Sprint Nextel Corp announced that it has named Embarq head Daniel Hesse as the company’s new President and Chief Executive Officer. Despite some opposition to the appointment from Embarq’s Board of Directors, the leadership team at Sprint appears to be very confident about the decision (see article by Andrew Edwards in The Wall Street Journal).

After creating an IntellectSpace Knowledge Map of Hesse’s past and current corporate connections, NewsVisual discovered one link in particular that may have given him the edge in landing this high-profile position.

As illustrated in the Knowledge Map, Hesse has most recently been the Chairman/CEO of Embarq Corporation, which until recently was the Local Telecommunications Division of Sprint Nextel. This connection likely made Hesse well acquainted with various key individuals at Sprint, which would have given him a strong advantage in securing the CEO position.

Other key positions that Hesse has held that may have impressed Sprint include:

• Executive Vice President of AT&T, President/CEO of AT&T Wireless and President/CEO of AT&T Network Systems International,

• Chairman/CEO of Terabeam Corp,

• Director of Nokia,

• Director of VF Corp, and

• Director of McLeodUSA.

Hesse clearly has the executive experience in the industry to lead Sprint Nextel, as the Board likely recognized. Based on his strong connections and impressive career in wireless, Hesse should prove to be a valuable asset for Sprint as the company attempts to regain its competitive edge in the coming year.

(Note: the information contained and presented in Knowledge Maps is public information from the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America).

Click here or copy this link into your Internet Explorer browser for an interactive version of this IntellectSpace Knowledge Map: http://nv.intellectspace.com/ispace/GuestMonitor.aspx?id=ea5d5b91-f289-4b36-a9bf-776aecd38f24