Bartlett succeeds Jim Taiclet who will continue as executive chairman until the Company’s 2020 annual meeting, after which point, Pamela Reeve, the company’s current lead independent director, will become non-executive chair of the board.
Once he has left the company, Taiclet who currently serves on the board of Lockheed Martin, will become its president and CEO, replacing Marillyn Hewson.
“It has been an incredible honour and privilege to work closely with Jim for more than ten years and I want to thank him for his tremendous leadership of our company. It’s an exciting time for American Tower,” said Bartlett.
“Not only are we well-positioned to capitalise on the continuing secular growth trends in mobile on a worldwide basis, but we also have a proven leadership team and dedicated employees throughout our markets to meet the needs of our diverse stakeholders. It’s an honour for me to lead a company that will play such an important role in the digital future.”
Bartlett has served as American Tower’s executive vice president and chief financial officer for over ten years. He joined the company from Verizon Communications in April 2009 after a tenure of more than 25 years.
During his time at American Tower the company’s total revenues have grown by 375% and its enterprise value has expanded to $128 billion from $16 billion, while total stockholder return during this period was approximately 800%.
“We believe Tom is uniquely qualified to take the reins as CEO and drive the company to even greater success in the communications real estate space in the US and in our international markets, as well as in new, emerging areas of opportunity arising from the company’s various innovation initiatives,” said Reeve.
“On behalf of the American Tower Board of Directors, we thank Mr Taiclet for his leadership and contributions over nearly two decades and for positioning the Company for continued success in the future. We will be working closely with Messrs. Taiclet, Bartlett and Smith during the next few months to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.”
In addition, Rodney Smith, the company’s current senior vice president, corporate finance and treasurer will become the new executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer.
