by Peter High, published on Forbes
7-6-2016
EarthLink Holdings Corp., a leading network services provider, today announced the appointment of Jacob J. (Jay) Ferro, Jr. as Executive Vice President, Chief Information and Product Officer (effective July 18th). Ferro will provide leadership and oversight of EarthLink’s technology operations including R&D, product and customer services offerings, acquisitions, and investments. He will report directly to Joe Eazor, EarthLink’s President and CEO.
Ferro has extensive experience in executive-level technology and finance roles. Prior to joining EarthLink, Ferro was Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the American Cancer Society (ACS) where he was responsible for the people, strategy, and operations of hundreds of local offices nationwide. He played an integral role in ACS’s historic transformation, which included the consolidation of 12 independent divisions into a single agile and focused global entity. Ferro will continue to support ACS and the organization’s important mission to save lives and cure cancer as a senior volunteer.
In earlier professional roles, Ferro served as CIO at AdCare HealthSystems and AIG. He was selected as Georgia CIO of the Year in both 2011 and 2015, Global CIO Breakaway Leader in 2013 and Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader in 2015, among other accolades. Ferro also dedicates his time to many charitable and community involvement efforts including founding the nonprofit group, Priscilla’s Promise, in honor of his late wife, which raises funds for cervical cancer education and research.
“We are proud to welcome Jay to the EarthLink team and know that his advanced technology expertise and robust business acumen will support the ongoing evolution of our company,” said Joe Eazor, President and CEO of EarthLink. “His extensive experience working on complex initiatives that deliver superior operational efficiencies, along with his personal value system and belief in collaboration and service, makes him the perfect addition to the executive team here at EarthLink as we drive the business forward.”
“I am honored and excited to join EarthLink,” said Ferro. “I am fully committed to building on the team’s current success and serving the company and customers with the highest degree of integrity and passion. My focus is on making what’s great even better and ensuring the delivery of best-in-class customer service.”