Cox Communications kicked off the New Year by promoting three long-time executives — Len Barlik, Colleen Langner and Mark Lawson — to key management roles, the company said Wednesday.
Barlik, formerly executive VP and chief operations officer, has been named chief technology officer, succeeding Kevin Hart, who was named CEO of Cox-owned fiber provider Segra earlier this week. Langner, who has previously served as EVP and chief marketing and sales officer, becomes chief operating officer; and Lawson, formerly senior VP of digital, moves into the executive VP and chief marketing and sales officer role.
Barlik joined Cox in 2010 as EVP of product development and management and during that tenure helped launch the company’s flagship video product Contour, its ultra-high-speed broadband product Gigablast and its Homelife home security and automation portfolio. As CTO, Barlik will oversee product and technology innovation and the development of new products and services for both residential and commercial customers. He will also assume leadership of the Cox Network Transformation initiative, the company’s billion-dollar project to support future residential and business applications.
“Len is a true innovator with a proven track record of bringing compelling new products and services to market that deliver superior customer experiences and drive revenue growth,” Cox Communications CEO Mark Greatrex said in a press release. “His ability to take a long-range, strategic vision, create a sense of urgency and move organizations to deliver on strategy makes him the natural choice to shape the future of product and technology development at Cox.”
A 26-year veteran of Cox Communications, Langner has held several senior leadership roles in the company, including SVP of field operations, with overall responsibility for field operations and vendor management. Langner also led marketing operations for the company, where she drove residential marketing strategy and execution nationwide.
“Colleen built an intimate knowledge of our markets, our customers and what it takes to support the services we sell,” Greatrex said in the release. “Her leadership experience across our regions gives her great perspective and a well-rounded view of our business that serves our Senior Team well.”
Lawson joined Cox Communications about eight years ago, leading the company’s digital marketing and helping to digitize sales, customer care and, more recently, customer retention and base management.
“We are moving rapidly to more digital customer journeys and interactive services and Mark is a top-notch digital expert who already has helped us blaze trails in the digital realm,” Greatrex said in the release. “He will be a tremendous asset to our senior leadership team, lending his digital vision and expertise to our growth and business strategy.”
