Cox Communications has hired Mark Greatrex as its new chief marketing officer and senior vice president, while Stephen Bye has left the company’s wireless division.
Bye was senior vice president of wireless at Cox and was the point man on Cox’s wireless rollouts to date.
Light Reading reported that Bye left Cox to work for Sprint Nextel starting March 14.
“We appreciate Stephen’s contributions to the successful launch of our wireless business,” a Cox spokesman said in an e-mail to CED. “We are thankful for the dedication and operational excellence of our wireless team as we deliver on our commitment to launching additional markets and enhancing the Cox customer experience.”
Cox plans on hiring a permanent replacement for Bye, but in the meantime, Len Barlik, Cox’s executive vice president of product development and management, has taken on Bye’s former duties.
Cox’s spokesman also confirmed that Mimi Thigpen, senior vice president of product management, has left the company, but he did not provide any additional details on her departure.
Greatrex started working for Cox this week after leaving his former position as senior vice president of global still beverages at The Coca-Cola Co., where he was responsible for a $7 billion portfolio of beverages.
In his new job at Cox, Greatrex is responsible for overseeing all marketing activities, including customer value management, branding and advertising, research, pricing and bundling, product and competitive marketing, business-to-business marketing, acquisition and retention marketing, and marketing communications. He is also charged with ensuring strategy alignment with the strategy, product and technology leaders.
“Mark has valuable experience positioning consumer brands in a very competitive marketplace,” said Leo Brennan, executive vice president and chief operations officer for Cox Communications. “His leadership will be instrumental as we communicate the advantages and value that Cox offers to customers.”
Greatrex holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics and a master’s of business administration from New York University’s Leonard Stern Business School.
“Cox is known for having a strong brand that resonates with customers,” said Greatrex. “The company is well-positioned for future success as both an innovator and market leader, and I look forward to being a part of the team.”