Dive Brief:
- Alphabet’s Google Fiber, which sells Wi-Fi and internet connectivity, announced Tuesday John Abbot, a veteran finance executive and investment banker, would serve as the company’s first CFO.
- Prior to joining GFiber, Abbot held numerous finance chief roles, most recently at New York City-based Dataminr, an AI business, and previously at Datto, where he led its initial public offering in 2020 before it was acquired in 2022 by the Miami, Florida-based tech firm Kaseya. He also worked for Goldman Sachs from 1992 to 1994 and served as a managing director at Morgan Stanley from 1995-2004, according to his LinkedIn profile.
- “John brings a wealth of experience as a CFO and deep industry knowledge to help guide GFiber during this pivotal time for our company,” GFiber CEO Dinni Jain said in a statement included in the announcement. “He understands this business from many angles and his expertise at helping companies grow and scale along with his exceptional brand of leadership are exactly what we need to take the next step in our development.”
Dive Insight:
Abbot is joining GFiber following a February Reuters report that Alphabet planned to seek external investments for the business. The company has also recently announced two other newly created leadership posts.
In December it announced that John Keib, who joined GFiber in 2019 as vice president of product, would become the company’s first-ever chief technology and product officer while continuing to drive product, engineering and supply chain efforts. The company in November named Melani Griffith, vice president of customer engagement, as its first-ever chief growth officer.
GFiber in October also named Rocco Laurenzano as chief operating officer, noting that the vice president of operations has been unofficially serving in the role for some time.
The company has also continued to expand its network in cities across the U.S. In a May 20 blogpost, Keib wrote that GFiber rolled out 5 Gig and 8 Gig service in San Antonio, Texas in April, noting that the company has been making similar inroads over the last 15 months.
“This milestone marks a huge step forward for Google Fiber’s entire network and our ability to serve our customers well into the future. With the San Antonio launch, nearly all GFiber customers in single family homes can get our full range of symmetrical multi-gig products,” Keib wrote.
GFiber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
