Clearwire Board Replaces CEO Ben Wolff With Telecom Veteran Bill Morrow

imageWith pressure mounting on Clearwire (NSDQ: CLWR) to not only roll out, but successfully operate a WiMax network, the company’s board said today it has named telecom veteran Bill Morrow as CEO, replacing long-standing co-founder and CEO Ben Wolff. Morrow, 49, will join the company today, coming from positions at AirTouch and *Vodafone*. Wolff will continue as co-chairman, sharing the position with co-founder Craig O. McCaw. Release.

The changing of the guard marks a critical point in the company’s history, where it switches focus from being an aggressive deal-making and money-raising venture to a more fine-tuned operation focused on details and execution. As a former attorney, Wolff was known for negotiating tough contracts, and true to nature, helped the company raise more than $6 billion in equity and debt financing, and closed what was considered an impossible merger with Sprint (NYSE: S) (a merger that required the cooperation of not only Sprint, but also its investors, which included competing cable companies and *Google*).

More after the jump

In a statement McCaw said, “Wolff has routinely made the impossible, possible. He has been instrumental in leading the company from its inception to the point that it is at today, raising more than $6 billion in equity and debt financing, structuring partnerships with key industry leaders, and building and operating the world

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