Cox Communications has hired Don Hallacy, a veteran telecom executive who has worked at BellSouth and Sprint, to head its technology organization until a permanent CTO is named, the cable operator confirmed Thursday.
In a statement, Cox said, "Mr. Hallacy is a seasoned business leader with nearly 30 years of experience successfully leading technology organizations, from startups to large companies. Mr. Hallacy brings a wealth of strategic and practical experience to our business, where he will serve as a member of the senior team with full responsibility for running the technology organization."
In June 2010, Cox announced that CTO Scott Hatfield was stepping down after about a year and half leading the company's consolidated technology group. At the time, the operator said Percy Kirk, senior vice president and general manager of the Atlanta-based operator's Oklahoma division, would assume interim CTO responsibilities.
Most recently, Hallacy ran an independent technology consulting practice in the Atlanta area. From 2002 to 2007, he was chief information officer of BellSouth's Communications Group and president and chief operating officer of the BellSouth Technology Group. BellSouth is now part of AT&T.
At BellSouth, he directed all domestic wireline information systems including ordering, billing, provisioning, network operational support and customer care for both wireline and broadband product lines.
He first joined Sprint in 1992, as director of application development, and held several roles of increasing responsibility before being named vice president of next generation product and application management in 1997.
Hallacy left Sprint in 1999 to become CEO of startup Eltrax Systems, application services provider based in Atlanta. In 2000, he returned to Sprint as president of the Internet services business and subsequently was promoted to president of Sprint Technology Services directing 12,000 network and information-technology personnel.
Hallacy began his career at Arthur Anderson & Co. in 1982 and also worked for Information Consulting Group and McKinsey & Co. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics and computational math from Albion College. Hallacy has served on the boards of Eltrax, Iridium North America and New Focus.
