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Thomas H. Gray CTP

General Management, Strategy, Operations, Customer Service, Marketing, Governance

Over 30 years experience as a successful board member, executive, line operations manager, and management consultant. Wide experience in both the U.S. and Europe.
Specializing in the following areas:

  • Strategy and business planning
  • Governance
  • Leadership teams
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Due diligence
  • Operational improvements
  • Marketing and business development
  • New product development

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Telecom Expert Group (www.telecomexpertgroup.com)
Lisle, Illinois USA
Founder and President (2001 to present)


Created a management consulting group of telecom managers and executives with operating experience in the USA and other countries, covering all aspects of managing an telecommunications operating company.

  • Recruited over 60 professionals, and established relationships with several other consulting groups focused on selected management functions
  • Services include due diligence and strategy/operations reviews and audits, functional management advice such as pricing and process work, and interim management.
  • Achieved revenue of $4 million, via engagements in Serbia, Ireland, Bulgaria, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Turkey, and the USA.
  • Led total company assessment projects in Serbia GSM and Bulgaria GSM; led due diligence project in Algeria and Tunisia GSM
  • Led strategy project for American CLEC
  • Led business model assessment for national US WiMAX network
  • Led strategy review project for commercial airplane manufacturer regarding wireless connectivity in flight.

Warwick Valley Telephone Company (NASDAQ WWVY) Interim President and CEO (2007) through Telecom Expert Group

Provided strategy and day-to-day leadership for this 24,000 line rural New York independent telephone company offering voice, internet and video, during its search for a permanent CEO

  • Hired interim CFO
  • Assessed the company’s challenges: market, network, IT, finance, personnel
  • Developed vision, strategy, annual business plan, and obtained Board approval
  • Reorganized departments; hired new skills
  • Created disciplined vendor management
  • Launched successful aggressive price competition vs. Cablevision
  • Began softswitch-based IP product portfolio launch to new CLEC areas
  • Launched video network expansion
  • Implemented “Management System”, with objectives, project plans, metrics, incentive compensation
  • Hired new permanent CEO
  • Completed 10K and conducted Annual Shareholders Meeting including dissident shareholders
  • Joined Board of Directors

Mooney Airplane Company
Kerrville, Texas
Managing Director (2004 to present)


Responsible for strategy and day-to-day leadership

  • Assessed turnaround opportunity for this manufacturer of single engine, four seat aluminum airplanes
  • Developed vision, strategy, business plan, and obtained funding
  • Revised the organization and provided day-to-day direction while recruiting an executive team
  • Advised Board on governance procedures and strategy

FLAG Telecom Ltd.
London, England
President, Network Services Unit (2000 -- 2001)

  • Defined the vision and organization for a "services" business unit within a telecom undersea cable construction company.
  • Established and staffed customer care, carrier relations, provisioning, network management, network planning.
  • Led all aspects of the business unit: marketing/product, operations, network planning and engineering, finance, legal, IT, HR.
  • As the number three person in the company, established new decision and approval processes and participated in acquisitions.
  • New products included Managed Bandwidth Service city-to-city; IP connectivity, and content caching.

Ameritech, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois USA
Ameritech International: Vice President - Marketing and Business Development
1994 - 2000

Responsible to market Ameritech products in foreign countries, and to identify and assess telecom investment opportunities, and lead due diligence and deal teams

Project Leader - Bell Canada

  • Led the team which bought 20% of this $8 billion telecom company serving 75% of the Canadian population
  • Excellent price with significant control rights, performance improvement opportunities, and exit via put option.

Project Leader - Telekom Austria

  • Led the team attempting to buy 25% of this incumbent telecom company serving the 10 million people in Austria The government chose the Italian bid rather than Ameritech's, because they offered a higher price and sought less control.
  • A year later, the government inquired whether Ameritech, the preferred choice of Austrian telecom management, would be interested to buy out the Telecom Italia.

Vice President - Special Businesses - Belgacom, Brussels, Belgium

  • Reported to Chief Operating Officer, member of Group Leadership Team
  • Supervised 1800 in six businesses: Operator Services (Directory Assistance), Payphone, Paging, Calling Card, Listings, and Security
  • Developed strategy for each business and led its implementation
  • In two years, revenue rose 38% ($200 million) and margin rose over 100% for this group of businesses.
  • Key deliverable: knowledge transfer of business techniques to civil servant workforce

Team leader - Belgacom Privatization

  • Negotiated deal documents with Belgian Government Organized relations among the three partners (TeleDanmark, SingTel, AIT=ADSB) Organized and led transition for ADSB to work with Belgacom: secondees, projects, business plan, communications, Board of Directors Organized and led Due Diligence Team
  • Developed business case for investment and management of the company
  • Business case/bids recognized as "best ever" by Ameritech and Belgacom

Project Leader -- GEIS relationship and export of Electronic Commerce

  • Sold Credit Card Transaction Processing Center project in Qingdao, China
  • Sold Civic Link to Maritime Provinces of Canada

Ameritech Domestic Business Units 1969-1993

Senior Director - New Projects, Consumer Services

  • Initiated a portfolio of process simplification projects
  • Created the Call Center consolidation plan
  • Revised and implemented the Regional Call Flow plan
Senior Director - Financial Services Market Management
  • Established Vision and Business Plan
  • Applications for fax and imaging products
General Manager - Messaging (Voice Mail, Faxtra)
  • Turnaround: Platform, Products, Channels, Pricing, Personnel, Processes
Senior Director - Complete Card
  • Created and managed credit/calling card alliance with Household Bank
  • Led alliance implementation team to launch in only 9 months, despite major IT work
  • Built many new IT processes which Ameritech also used elsewhere
  • Managed operations for one year after launch
Senior Director - Operator Services, Payphone, and Calling Card
  • Integrated the three departments
  • Defined and implemented Automated Collect service (first in the world)
  • Numerous operations and marketing initiatives, including Operator Services consolidation, combination of Directory assistance with toll operators, new automation initiatives at the beginning and end of call processing, pricing initiatives, direct access to listing data base
Various operations, marketing, and strategy positions
  • Developed strategic plan for Operator Services
  • Defined provision of Operator Services by Ameritech for IXCs
  • Re-priced operator-involved calls
  • Revamped Illinois operator methods and procedures
  • Force Manager
  • Facilities Manager
  • Chief Operator
  • Developed operator scheduling and tour assignment computer system
  • Launched new ACD and new operator offices
  • Installed two new listing retrieval systems
  • Created productivity measures

Education:

Master of Business Administration (Marketing), Keller Graduate School of Mgmt., 1985
Master of Arts (History), Loyola University of Chicago, 1975
Bachelor of Arts (History), Loyola University of Chicago, 1969

Membership:Turnaround Management Association

Credential:

CTP -- Certified Turnaround Professional. Certifies expertise in workouts, restructurings, and corporate renewal. Requires examination in finance and managerial accounting, turnaround and crisis management, and bankruptcy and UCC law, plus career experience, references, and continuing education.


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5131 Hawthorn • Lisle, IL 60532 USA 1-630-512-0406 • Email