Andersen Consulting announces global structure for communications industry group.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 26, 1995--Andersen Consulting announced that effective September 1, it has established a global Communications Industry Group which will be responsible for serving its communications industry clients throughout the world. It also named 10 partners who have specific geographical and functional responsibilities within this unified Communications practice.

The appointments were announced by Larry R. Levitan, worldwide managing partner for this new organization. He has been involved with clients from the communications industry for the last eight years, and has led Andersen Consulting's U.S. Communications Industry Market Unit since last summer.

"Our new structure reflects communications companies' unprecedented global demand for expert consulting services," Levitan said. "This demand is driven by the fundamental changes sweeping the industry worldwide, ranging from competition to deregulation to new service offerings to new technologies. Our globally unified practice enables us to quickly, seamlessly serve our clients with highly specialized resources and assets that will help them address these challenges."

Levitan outlined 10 specific personnel appointments that Andersen is making to address clients' needs from a geographic, business line and solutions delivery perspective:

Geographic Responsibilities

The practice has established three Area Managing Partner positions with geographic responsibility for delivering unified service to clients, as well as for building personnel skills and financial results. The partners named to these positions include:

Asia/Pacific - John B. (Jack) Kelley.

Kelley was most recently based in Florham Park, NJ, as the Managing Partner for the Communications practice's US-Northeast Operating Group. He has managed Andersen Consulting's service to a number of major communications companies, including interexchange carriers and local exchange carriers.

Europe/Middle East/Africa/India - Diego Visconti.

Visconti, the Country Managing Partner - Italy, is also an advisory partner for Andersen Consulting's service to communications clients. He will continue to serve as the firm's Senior Partner in Italy.

Americas - Bruce Baxter.

Baxter, based in Kansas City, MO, was previously Managing Partner - Communications Industry Operations in the US. He has also served as the practice's Regional Industry Director for the Central Region and has worked with teams in Canada and Latin America.

Lines of Business -- Alan A. Burgess.

The practice has established four Line of Business units responsible for its market offerings. Their managing partners report to Alan A. Burgess, based in Atlanta, who led Andersen Consulting's Communications practice from its formation in 1987 until 1995. The managing partners include:

Customer Contact Solutions - Dale Raaen.

Dale Raaen, San Francisco, will continue his leadership of this line of business. Andersen Consulting is an industry leader in developing and delivering customer care and billing solutions, developed with communications companies and marketed as CCS Solutions. Raaen, who has recent international experience from a three-year assignment in Australia, has worked with clients and engagement teams around the world.

Network Support Solutions - Richard Cuccioli.

Rich Cuccioli, based in New York, will continue to lead this rapidly growing line of business, in which Andersen Consulting assists clients in managing vast and rapidly changing communications networks. Cuccioli has worked extensively with major communications carriers, and also has international experience from an assignment in Spain.

Wireless - John Morris.

John Morris, based in Portland, Oregon, will head this fast-growing line of business. Prior to this appointment, Morris headed the firm's wireless industry practice in the Pacific Region, and directed the Pacific Northwest Communications practice. For the past two years, Morris has served as client partner for AT&T Wireless Services Inc. (formerly McCaw Cellular Communications Inc.), where Andersen is involved with a number of major systems implementation projects.

Enterprise Management - Byron Tsinikas.

Byron Tsinikas, based in Atlanta, will provide leadership for this new line of business, which offers clients assistance in enhancing and replacing the business processes and systems that support their overall management, including financial and human resources functions. Tsinikas, whose clients have included a number of major communications companies, was born and raised in Greece, joined the firm in New York and led its consulting practice in Greece and Turkey from 1985 to 1989.

Solution Delivery -- Steve Freeman.

Levitan also announced that Steve Freeman, Chicago, has accepted the role of Managing Partner for the new Solution Delivery practice, which is responsible for developing and delivering technology solutions, including establishing standard technical architectures that can be used across applications and clients. Freeman is also responsible for the practice's Solution Center, TeleworksTM, located in San Ramon, California, and for establishing a worldwide network of similar Solution Centers. Freeman has been the technology leader for the Communications practice for many years, and has been involved in many of the firm's largest communications engagements in the US.

Multimedia and Infocosm - Ron Tapp.

The Solution Delivery organization will also include the practices important programs in Multimedia and Infocosm, Andersen Consulting's term for the convergence of communications, computing and commerce. Ron Tapp, Denver, will continue to lead this area of the Solutions Delivery practice.

Andersen Consulting is a $3.45 billion global management and technology consulting organization whose mission is to help its clients change to be more successful. The organization works with clients from a wide range of industries to link their people, processes and technologies to their strategies. Andersen Consulting has more than 32,000 people in 152 offices and 47 countries. The firm's Communications Industry Group, with more than 3,000 consultants worldwide, serves a wide array of communications companies, including telecommunications carriers, cable TV companies, and wireless and satellite carriers. It provides a wide spectrum of services, ranging from helping its clients transform business processes, to developing and implementing customer care and network support solutions, to implementing interactive broadband networks.

Editor's note: Andersen Consulting is not a division of accounting firm Arthur Andersen.

CONTACT: Andersen Consulting

Jim Sloan, 312/507-8108