Mariano Legaz – the career path to the CPO ’ s office
• Educated at Universidad Católica de Córdoba in Argentina where in 1997 he obtained degrees in Electronics , Engineering and Telecommunications .
• Moved on to Southern Methodist University ’ s Cox Business School to earn an executive MBA in 2003 .
• Between 1995 and 2015 worked at Verizon , progressing through director of Capital Planning and Analysis ; VP Sourcing ; senior VP of Supply Chain Services ; and President of the Florida Region .
• Appointed Chief Procurement Officer at Sprint , responsible for Sourcing , Procurement , Supply Chain Management and Real Estate Operations . Legaz says , “ My job involves enabling the business while driving operational efficiencies , reducing costs , and maximizing supplier relationships – and getting better every day !”
Lean credentials : Married and a father of three , Legaz is an accomplished distance runner and has participated in several marathons . Among his most recent achievements was a top three finish in his age group at the October 2016 Waddell and Reed Kansas City Marathon .
first time in a decade or more .” Customer churn - the ratio of customers switching away to new customers gained - is the key indicator in this business . In 2014 Sprint lost 1.5mn ( net ) customers , but in 2016 it got them back and gained 930,000 ( net ), reversing the negative churn .
“ The fact is that in two years we have gone from losing more than a million to gaining almost a million ,” he adds . “ Put another way , that was almost a 2.5mn-customer swing , and that is remarkable in our business .”
Sprint ’ s rating has improved , he says , and it is rated the number-one voice network across the country . “ Previously we were losing customers at a rate of 2 % a month , but in 2016 our churn fell to about 1.5 % and it is still coming down .”
Just as important , brand perception surveys have raised Sprint to a four-year high , leading all competitors in places as diverse as Colorado Springs , Cincinnati , Portland and St . Louis . So much has been achieved already , and remember this is only year two of a five-year transformation program .
40 September 2017