Ajay Waghray Named CIO Of Verizon Wireless

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Ajay Waghray has been named chief information officer of Verizon Wireless, effective July 1, 2007. Waghray, who has been a leader in the company's IT organization for the past seven years, will be responsible for the company's Information Technology strategy, systems portfolio development and operation of all supporting infrastructure. He will be based in Basking Ridge, N.J.

"Ajay has been at the leading edge of company-wide system improvements designed to enhance the customer experience across the board — at our retail locations, in our call centers, online and via customers' own mobile devices, including consolidating our billing systems across the country to a common platform," said Lowell McAdam, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless. "He also has been a major contributor to the streamlining of the business and making our customer service team increasingly efficient and effective."

Identified by CIO magazine this past year as "One to Watch" in the field of Information Technology, Waghray has been a member of the Verizon Wireless IT organization since the company's launch in 2000. Waghray has successfully helped lead the drive to consolidate and simplify the company's billing and other application systems, including providing customer-facing systems accessed via phone and online with a common look and feel. This year, the Customer Respect Group again recognized the Verizon Wireless Web site among the nation's best.

His most recent assignment as chief information officer of Verizon Wireless' Midwest Area combined his responsibilities for company-wide customer-facing systems, making him responsible for IT operations across 15 states. Waghray started his wireless career with Bell Atlantic Mobile in 1997 as a director of Information Technology. He was named a vice president of IT when the company became part of the newly formed Verizon Wireless.

Waghray holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business, a master's degree in Computer Science from West Virginia University, and a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) in Pilani, India.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving more than 60.7 million customers. The largest US wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 66,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

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