Windstream Wholesale, Enterprise Sectors Get New Leaders

Windstream, the company best known for its network communications, voice, data and managed services offerings, has new leadership on the wholesale and enterprise front. The company's chairman and CEO, Paul Sunu, announced that Joe Scattareggia is now president of Windstream Wholesale, with Mike Flannery acting as president of Windstream Enterprise.

As industry veterans, both Scattareggia and Flannery formerly served as the chief revenue officers of their respective business units. The two also share a long history working in the industry, with Scattareggia previously working in various roles for companies like Arbinet and Calltrade Carrier Services AG.

"We have a strong team at Windstream, and I am pleased to be promoting two industry veterans who will continue to execute on our company priorities and maintain our customer-centric focus," said Sunu. "We remain keenly focused on providing superior service to our customers, and that will not change under the leadership of Joe and Mike.

Giovanni Tarone is a telecommunications expert familiar with the firms Scattareggia worked for in the past and told Channel Futures that "Joe is amazing, and he all-but built Arbinet. He was also a key player for all traffic in the firm's prepaid sector," adding, "this is a great move by Windsteam."

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Windstream's Joe Scattareggia

Regarding his character, Tarone said Scattareggia is an "honest guy, and everyone in the industry knows and loves him. The dishonest people don’t like him because he’s so diligent and on his game," Tarone told us.

Flannery previously held positions at EarthLink and CenturyLink before coming to Windstream, where he's been for nearly seven years. The duo succeeds former Windstream wholesale enterprise president Buddy Bayer, who will leave the role at the end of this month for another opportunity.

Windstream Wholesale, Enterprise Leaders Share Customer-Centric Vision

With Bayer's position split into two roles, one man's work is now the work of two, meaning there is plenty to do, ensuring all sales, marketing, service delivery and customer care get handled. 

Windstream said that Scattareggia also will manage field operations, with Flannery continuing to oversee Windstream's enterprise channel program.

Flannery added that his expertise has put him in a position to lead his sector.

Windstream's Mike Flannery

"The role aligns well with my background in guiding customer-centric organizations through transformations over my career," said Flannery.

Flannery added that he is confident the business will continue adopting and driving change, with a customer-centric mindset at the core of that strategy. 

Above: Channel Futures' James Anderson interviews Windstream's Ben Team at the 2023 Channel Partners Conference & Expo.

Beefing Up Cybersecurity Game, Hiring Military Veterans

Windstream Enterprise recently unveiled the global availability of its SASE (secure access service edge) and SSE (security service edge) cybersecurity solutions with Cato Networks.

The tool looks to outfit companies with "stronger global network protection and streamlined IT management across borders," and is the only one of its kind on the market, the company said.

Windstream recently was recognized for hiring military veterans, too, receiving a platinum 2023 HIRE Vets Medallion Award from the United States Labor Department for the third year. Furthermore, Windstream ranked second on the 2024 Military Friendly Employer List by VIQTORY and sixth on the Military Spouse Friendly Employer list.

Earlier this year, the company relaunched its channel partner program, stating at the time that it wanted to create long-term value for partners, and it made the necessary changes to its channel program to reflect the ever-shifting market.