Misplaced Pages

Randall L. Stephenson: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 23:42, 9 January 2013 editBelchfire (talk | contribs)4,207 edits Undid revision 532267993 by AmherstApple (talk) Sourcing is irrelevant. Come back and insert it after it happens, until then it's WP:CRYSTAL← Previous edit Latest revision as of 01:20, 27 August 2024 edit undoMaineCrab (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users1,159 editsm →Biography: consolidating for clarity 
(238 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|Telecommunications business executive}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Randall L. Stephenson
| name = Randall L. Stephenson
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|04|22}}
| image = Randall Stephenson, CEO of AT&T.jpg
|birth_place = ], ], ]
| office = 37th ] of the ]
|death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
|image = Randall Stephenson, CEO of AT&T.jpg | term_start = 2016
| term_end = 2018
|caption = Stephenson at the 2008 ]
|size = 200px | predecessor = ]
| successor = ]
|death_place =
| birth_name = Randall Lynn Stephenson
|body_discovered =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|04|22}}
|death_cause =
| birth_place = ], ], ]
|resting_place =
| death_date =
|resting_place_coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} -->
|residence = | death_place =
| occupation = Executive Chairman, ]
|nationality = ]
|ethnicity = | spouse = Lenise
|citizenship = | children = 2
| education = ] (])<br>] (])
|other_names =
}}
|known_for =
'''Randall Lynn Stephenson''' (born April 22, 1960) is a retired American telecommunications executive. He served as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of ] from 2007 to 2020.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/24/business/media/att-ceo-john-stankey-randall-stephenson.html |title= AT&T Names John Stankey C.E.O. as Randall Stephenson Plans to Retire |work= ] |date= April 24, 2020 |access-date= January 11, 2021 |quote= AT&T, the telecommunications giant that has moved into media and entertainment, announced a changing of the guard on Friday. John Stankey, a veteran of the company, will become its new chief executive starting July 1. He will take the reins from Randall L. Stephenson, who has led AT&T since 2007.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/24/business/media/att-ceo-john-stankey-randall-stephenson.html |title= AT&T Names John Stankey C.E.O. as Randall Stephenson Plans to Retire |work= ] |date= April 24, 2020 |access-date= January 11, 2021 |quote= Mr. Stephenson, 60, will stay on as executive chairman of the board through this year, the company said in a statement.}}</ref> He was national president of the ] from 2016 to 2018.
|education =
|alma_mater = ], ]
|employer =
|occupation = ] & ] at <br>] (2007-)
|years_active =
|home_town =
|title =
|salary = ] 22,018,334 (''2011'')}}


==Biography==
'''Randall L. Stephenson''' (born April 22, 1960 in ]) is an ] ].
Stephenson earned a ] in ] from the ] and a ] from the ],<ref>{{cite press release |title=Stephenson Profile |url=http://www.att.com/gen/investor-relations?pid=7824 |website=www.att.com |language=en}}</ref> then began his career in 1982 with ] (SBC). Late in the 1980s through 1990s, he held executive positions at the company, including oversight of SBC's investment in ], where, according to Bloomberg, he was mentored by ].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Moritz |first1=Scott |last2=Smith |first2=Gerry |title=AT&T Dealmaker Is a Carlos Slim Protege With a List in Cloud |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-24/at-t-dealmaker-is-a-carlos-slim-protege-with-a-list-in-the-cloud |website=Bloomberg.com |language=en |date=24 October 2016}}</ref> In July 2001, he was appointed senior vice president and ] for SBC, helping the company reduce its net debt from $30 billion to near zero by early 2004. From 2003 to 2004, Stephenson served as chairman of the ] for ]. In 2004, he was named ] of ] and also appointed by ] as National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee.


Stephenson continued as COO following SBC's acquisition of ] in 2005, responsible for all wireless and wireline operations at AT&T. In April 2007, AT&T announced Stephenson would succeed retiring ] as CEO and serve as chairman and CEO of AT&T Inc.. In 2008 Randall Stephenson helped AT&T launch AT&T Aspire and led their "It Can Wait" campaign.<ref>{{Cite web|title=AT&T It Can Wait {{!}} Take the Pledge to Drive Distraction Free|url=https://about.att.com/sites/itcanwait|access-date=2020-12-02|website=about.att.com|language=en-US}}</ref>
Stephenson replaced ] as ] and ] of ] in 2007. He was senior executive vice president and ] of ], which he joined in 1982. He was elected as a director of AT&T Inc. in June 2005. He also serves as a director of ] and ]


Stephenson was chairman of the Business Roundtable from 2014 to 2016.<ref>{{cite press release |url= https://www.businessroundtable.org/media/news-releases/att-chairman-and-ceo-randall-stephenson-named-chairman-of-business-r |title= AT&T Chairman & CEO Randall Stephenson Named Chairman of Business Roundtable |publisher= ] |date= September 18, 2013 |access-date= June 20, 2018}}</ref>
He holds a B.S. from the ] and an ] from the ]. Stephenson is also a current member of the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cfr.org/about/membership/roster.html?letter=S |title=Membership Roster - Council on Foreign Relations |publisher=Cfr.org |date= |accessdate=2012-09-15}}</ref>


In September 2016, Stephenson gave a speech regarding race relations at ]’s annual Employee Resource Group conference in ]. An employee posted a video of the speech to ], in which Stephenson asked attendees to make a greater effort to understand each other and communicate better through a compelling witness defending Black Lives Matter despite racial tensions in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/09/30/watch-atts-ceo-give-a-forceful-defense-of-black-lives-matter/?noredirect=on |title= Watch AT&T's CEO give a forceful defense of Black Lives Matter |author= Brian Fung |newspaper= ] |date= September 30, 2016 |access-date= June 1, 2018}}</ref>
Stephenson is a member of the ], the organization's governing body.<ref></ref>


During his tenure as CEO, AT&T acquired ] for $49 billion in July 2015 and ] for $85 billion in June 2018. According to Drew FitzGerald of ], Stephenson has "transformed the phone company he inherited into one of the world's biggest entertainment companies."<ref name="WSJ">{{cite news |url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/at-t-chief-gambled-and-won-big-1528846276 |title= AT&T Chief Gambled and Won Big |author= Drew FitzGerald |publisher= ] |date= June 12, 2018 |access-date= July 26, 2018}}</ref> However, AT&T also ].
== Career timeline ==
{{Expand section|date=February 2012}}
*1982 — Stephenson begins his career with ] in the information-technology organization in Oklahoma.


On July 1, 2020, Stephenson retired as CEO of AT&T. He was succeeded by then-COO ].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/24/business/media/att-ceo-john-stankey-randall-stephenson.html |title= AT&T Names John Stankey C.E.O. as Randall Stephenson Plans to Retire |work= ] |date= April 24, 2020 |access-date= January 11, 2021 |quote= John Stankey, a veteran of the company, will become its new chief executive starting July 1. He will take the reins from Randall L. Stephenson, who has led AT&T since 2007. Mr. Stankey, 57, became the chief operating officer last October and has managed the bulk of the company’s operations since then.}}</ref> At the time Stephenson announced his departure, it was acknowledged that the acquisitions of DirectTV and Time Warner had by this point resulted in a massive debt burden of $200 billion for the company,<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20210225/14040846321/att-spins-off-directv-after-losing-billions-tv-dreams.shtml |title= AT&T Spins Off DirecTV After Losing Billions On Its TV Dreams |date= March 4, 2021 |access-date= July 5, 2021}}</ref> forcing the company to cut back on its capital investments.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.wired.com/story/att-spinning-off-warnermedia-focus-on-telecoms-again/ |title= AT&T Is Spinning Off WarnerMedia to Focus on Telecoms Again |date= May 18, 2021 |access-date= July 5, 2021}}</ref> and In December 2020, the '']'' said Stephenson's "legacy has been stained by poor acquisitions".<ref>{{cite web |title=Bidders line up for AT&T’s troubled DirecTV business |url=https://www.ft.com/content/7b6bda43-9d28-4617-9ed0-e865837b5392 |website=www.ft.com}}</ref>
*Late 1980s through 1990s — He progresses through a series of leadership positions in finance, including an international assignment in Mexico City.


==Scouting==
*July 2001 — Stephenson is appointed ] for SBC, helping the company reduce its net debt from $30 billion to near zero by early 2004.
He was the ] of the ], serving from 2016<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2016/05/26/randall-stephenson-att-chairman-ceo-becomes-bsa-national-president/|title=Randall Stephenson, AT&T CEO, elected BSA national president|date=26 May 2016|publisher=Scouting Magazine}}</ref> until 2018.<ref>{{cite press release |url= https://scoutingwire.org/thank-you-randall-stephenson-and-welcome-jim-turley/ |title= Thank You, Randall Stephenson And Welcome, Jim Turley |publisher= ] |date= May 26, 2018 |access-date= June 20, 2018}}</ref> Stephenson, as well as fellow board member ], CEO of ], publicly opposed the BSA's practice of banning openly gay Scouts and stated their intention "to work from within the BSA Board to actively encourage dialogue and sustainable progress."<ref name="Post Blog BSA Ban">{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-leadership/post/after-boy-scouts-of-america-reaffirms-exclusion-of-gays-the-biggest-leadership-question-remains/2012/07/19/gJQAxkfMwW_blog.html | title=After Boy Scouts of America reaffirms exclusion of gays, the biggest leadership question remains | date=July 19, 2012 | access-date=January 10, 2013 | author=McGregor, Jena | newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>


==PGA Tour Policy Board==
*2003 to 2004 — Stephenson serves as Chairman of the ] for ].
Stephenson served from 2012 to 2023 on the policy board of the ]. He resigned in a July 8, 2023 letter citing “serious concerns” about the tour's partnership with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. In his resignation letter, Stephenson said the framework of the deal “is not one that I can objectively evaluate or in good conscience support, particularly in light of the U.S. intelligence report concerning ] in 2018.”<ref>{{cite news | last=Maese | first=Rick | title=Randall Stephenson resigns from PGA Tour policy board over LIV deal | newspaper=Washington Post | date=2023-07-09 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/07/09/randall-stephenson-pga-tour-policy-board/ | access-date=2023-07-10}}</ref>


==Personal life==
*April 2004 — Stephenson is named ] of ].
Stephenson maintains homes in ] and ], San Antonio, Texas, and Teton Village, WY. Stephenson is a member of the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cfr.org/about/membership/roster.html?letter=S |title=Membership Roster – Council on Foreign Relations |publisher=Cfr.org |access-date=2012-09-15}}</ref>


==See also==
*December 2004 — ] announces his intention to appoint Stephenson to the ].
*]

*November 2005 — Stephenson continues as COO following ]'s acquisition of ]. He is responsible for all wireless and wireline operations at ].

*April 2007 — AT&T announces Stephenson will succeed ] and ] ] when he retires in June. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-life-StephensonR.html |title=WSJ on Randal Stephenson |publisher=Online.wsj.com |date= |accessdate=2012-09-15}}</ref>

*March 2011 — AT&T announces bid to ].

*December 2011 — Following an ], AT&T announced it had withdrawn the bid, and pay ] the $4 billion in cash and wireless spectrum access specified in the original acquisition agreement.<ref>{{cite web|author=AT&T |url=http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=22146&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=33560&mapcode=corporate%7Cwireless-networks-general |title=AT&T Ends Bid To Add Network Capacity Through T-Mobile USA Purchase |publisher=AT&T |date=December 19, 2011}}</ref>

== Compensation ==

In 2009, Stephenson's compensation as CEO of AT&T totaled $20,240,457, including a base salary of $1,450,000, a cash bonus of $5,850,000, options grants worth $75,834, stock grants worth $11,999,991, and other compensation totaling $864,632.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.equilar.com/CEO_Compensation/ATT_Randall_L._Stephenson.php |title=2009 CEO Compensation for Randall L. Stephenson |publisher= ] |date= |accessdate= }}</ref>

In 2010, compensation totaled $20.2 million, a sum that was unchanged from the previous year which equated to a 6 percent increase over 2009.{{contradiction-inline|date=August 2012}} His cash incentive payment totaled $5.05 million, down 14 percent from the year before. Most of his 2010 compensation was in the form of options and performance-based stock awards valued at $13.2 million, up 10 percent from 2009. <ref name="wsj2010pay">{{cite news |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/AP25eef94515ef41098fbd48d235b9e7b3.html title=AT&T CEO 2010 pay totals $20.2M, flat with 2009 |publisher= ] |date= |accessdate= }}</ref>

According to a February 2012 regulatory filing, Stephenson's compensation for 2011 was cut by "more than $2 million" in response to the effect that the failed ] had had on AT&T's ].<ref name="cnnmoney120222">{{cite web| url= http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/22/technology/att_ceo_pay/ |title= AT&T CEO pay docked $2 million for T-Mobile debacle | date= February 22, 2012 | author= Stacy Cowley | work= CNNMoney| accessdate=2012-02-23| quote= Despite a 'strong operational performance,' Stephenson's compensation was slashed by 'more than $2 million' as a reflection of the heavy toll T-Mobile took on the company's bottom line, AT&T said.}}</ref> His total compensation for 2011 was $22 million, an 18.5% <!--{{change|27|22|dec=1|color=yes|sort=no}} -->drop from the $27 million he received the previous year.<ref name="cnnmoney120222"/> <!-- 2012 report of 2010 compensation is different than quoted from ref name="wsj2010pay" -->


== References == == References ==
Line 69: Line 49:


== External links == == External links ==
* *
* {{C-SPAN|1024989}}
*
* given by '']'' magazine
*


{{s-start}}
{{s-npo|bsa}}
{{s-bef|before=]}}
{{s-ttl|title=]|years=2016{{ndash}}2018}}
{{s-aft|after=]}}
{{s-end}}

{{AT&T}}
{{Portalbar|Scouting|Biography|Business}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. -->
| NAME = Stephenson, Randall
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Telecommunications business executive
| DATE OF BIRTH = 22 April 1960
| PLACE OF BIRTH = ]
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Randall}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Randall}}
]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]
]
]
]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]


{{US-business-bio-1960s-stub}}

]
]

Latest revision as of 01:20, 27 August 2024

Telecommunications business executive
Randall L. Stephenson
37th National President of the Boy Scouts of America
In office
2016–2018
Preceded byRobert Gates
Succeeded byJim Turley
Personal details
BornRandall Lynn Stephenson
(1960-04-22) April 22, 1960 (age 64)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
SpouseLenise
Children2
EducationUniversity of Central Oklahoma (BS)
University of Oklahoma (MAcc)
OccupationExecutive Chairman, AT&T

Randall Lynn Stephenson (born April 22, 1960) is a retired American telecommunications executive. He served as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of AT&T Inc. from 2007 to 2020. He was national president of the Boy Scouts of America from 2016 to 2018.

Biography

Stephenson earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Central Oklahoma and a Master of Accountancy from the University of Oklahoma, then began his career in 1982 with Southwestern Bell Telephone (SBC). Late in the 1980s through 1990s, he held executive positions at the company, including oversight of SBC's investment in Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex), where, according to Bloomberg, he was mentored by Carlos Slim. In July 2001, he was appointed senior vice president and chief financial officer for SBC, helping the company reduce its net debt from $30 billion to near zero by early 2004. From 2003 to 2004, Stephenson served as chairman of the board of directors for Cingular Wireless. In 2004, he was named chief operating officer of SBC and also appointed by President Bush as National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee.

Stephenson continued as COO following SBC's acquisition of AT&T in 2005, responsible for all wireless and wireline operations at AT&T. In April 2007, AT&T announced Stephenson would succeed retiring Edward Whitacre as CEO and serve as chairman and CEO of AT&T Inc.. In 2008 Randall Stephenson helped AT&T launch AT&T Aspire and led their "It Can Wait" campaign.

Stephenson was chairman of the Business Roundtable from 2014 to 2016.

In September 2016, Stephenson gave a speech regarding race relations at AT&T’s annual Employee Resource Group conference in Dallas. An employee posted a video of the speech to YouTube, in which Stephenson asked attendees to make a greater effort to understand each other and communicate better through a compelling witness defending Black Lives Matter despite racial tensions in the United States.

During his tenure as CEO, AT&T acquired DirecTV for $49 billion in July 2015 and Time Warner for $85 billion in June 2018. According to Drew FitzGerald of The Wall Street Journal, Stephenson has "transformed the phone company he inherited into one of the world's biggest entertainment companies." However, AT&T also failed acquisition of T-Mobile.

On July 1, 2020, Stephenson retired as CEO of AT&T. He was succeeded by then-COO John Stankey. At the time Stephenson announced his departure, it was acknowledged that the acquisitions of DirectTV and Time Warner had by this point resulted in a massive debt burden of $200 billion for the company, forcing the company to cut back on its capital investments. and In December 2020, the Financial Times said Stephenson's "legacy has been stained by poor acquisitions".

Scouting

He was the 37th National President of the Boy Scouts of America, serving from 2016 until 2018. Stephenson, as well as fellow board member Jim Turley, CEO of Ernst & Young, publicly opposed the BSA's practice of banning openly gay Scouts and stated their intention "to work from within the BSA Board to actively encourage dialogue and sustainable progress."

PGA Tour Policy Board

Stephenson served from 2012 to 2023 on the policy board of the PGA Tour. He resigned in a July 8, 2023 letter citing “serious concerns” about the tour's partnership with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. In his resignation letter, Stephenson said the framework of the deal “is not one that I can objectively evaluate or in good conscience support, particularly in light of the U.S. intelligence report concerning Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.”

Personal life

Stephenson maintains homes in Preston Hollow, Dallas and Olmos Park, San Antonio, Texas, and Teton Village, WY. Stephenson is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

See also

References

  1. "AT&T Names John Stankey C.E.O. as Randall Stephenson Plans to Retire". The New York Times. April 24, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021. AT&T, the telecommunications giant that has moved into media and entertainment, announced a changing of the guard on Friday. John Stankey, a veteran of the company, will become its new chief executive starting July 1. He will take the reins from Randall L. Stephenson, who has led AT&T since 2007.
  2. "AT&T Names John Stankey C.E.O. as Randall Stephenson Plans to Retire". The New York Times. April 24, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021. Mr. Stephenson, 60, will stay on as executive chairman of the board through this year, the company said in a statement.
  3. "Stephenson Profile". www.att.com (Press release).
  4. Moritz, Scott; Smith, Gerry (24 October 2016). "AT&T Dealmaker Is a Carlos Slim Protege With a List in Cloud". Bloomberg.com.
  5. "AT&T It Can Wait | Take the Pledge to Drive Distraction Free". about.att.com. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  6. "AT&T Chairman & CEO Randall Stephenson Named Chairman of Business Roundtable" (Press release). Business Roundtable. September 18, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  7. Brian Fung (September 30, 2016). "Watch AT&T's CEO give a forceful defense of Black Lives Matter". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  8. Drew FitzGerald (June 12, 2018). "AT&T Chief Gambled and Won Big". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  9. "AT&T Names John Stankey C.E.O. as Randall Stephenson Plans to Retire". The New York Times. April 24, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021. John Stankey, a veteran of the company, will become its new chief executive starting July 1. He will take the reins from Randall L. Stephenson, who has led AT&T since 2007. Mr. Stankey, 57, became the chief operating officer last October and has managed the bulk of the company's operations since then.
  10. "AT&T Spins Off DirecTV After Losing Billions On Its TV Dreams". March 4, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  11. "AT&T Is Spinning Off WarnerMedia to Focus on Telecoms Again". May 18, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  12. "Bidders line up for AT&T's troubled DirecTV business". www.ft.com.
  13. "Randall Stephenson, AT&T CEO, elected BSA national president" (Press release). Scouting Magazine. 26 May 2016.
  14. "Thank You, Randall Stephenson And Welcome, Jim Turley" (Press release). Boy Scouts of America. May 26, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  15. McGregor, Jena (July 19, 2012). "After Boy Scouts of America reaffirms exclusion of gays, the biggest leadership question remains". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  16. Maese, Rick (2023-07-09). "Randall Stephenson resigns from PGA Tour policy board over LIV deal". Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  17. "Membership Roster – Council on Foreign Relations". Cfr.org. Retrieved 2012-09-15.

External links

Boy Scouts of America
Preceded byRobert Gates President of the Boy Scouts of America
2016–2018 		Succeeded byJim Turley
AT&T
Board of
directors
Current
Former
Communications
Latin America
Buildings and
facilities
Current
Former
Other
Portals: Categories: