MANAGEMENT TEAM
 
Tom Luciano - Managing Partner

Tom Luciano is the founder and President of The Luciano Group including its subsidiaries: GW Tracker, and International Telecom Strategies and Solutions.

Tom is an expert in understanding the international telecom industry.  He has 18 years of international operational experience in achieving significant margin improvement for AT&T. Coupled with 33 years background with AT&T in Engineering, Regulatory, Sales, and Product Management, he has a unique ability to understand the market dynamics and translate that into actionable cost savings and profit generating programs. Some of the highlights of Tom's career include:

» Managed and led AT&T's carrier bilateral negotiations with over 400 carriers in 200 countries for 17 years and reduced expenses by several billions of dollars through broad cost improvement initiatives
» Managed international voice products; Switched and Dedicated Transit, Hubbing services, VOIP - Clearinghouse, and World Billing Services.
» Managed AT&T's international least cost routing operations with over 1 billion minutes per year.
» Managed 3 offshore voice switched businesses in Netherlands, Guatemala, and Chile.
» Key Expert in FCC regulation and policy related to international voice traffic. Championed FCC adoption of Settlement Rate Benchmark Order.
» Led the international settlements group for AT&T's and BT's joint venture business (Concert) from 2000 to 2002 which managed partner's US and UK voice business.
» Joined AT&T's Data Network Organization in 2003 to lead supplier negotiations for building AT&T's Global Data Network with strategic suppliers in 50 countries.

Tom founded The Luciano Group to provide products and services to executives operating in the international telecom service market. Industry downsizing has produced both a business need for short-term project expertise as well as a talent pool of industry consultants to draw upon. The Luciano Group is focused on meeting that need for the International Telecom Service market.

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David Schropfer - Founding Partner

David Schropfer is a telecommunication leader with over 15 years of experience ranging from International, Domestic, Cellular, Wire-Line and Satellite Telecommunications.  His Tier-1 Carrier contacts are strong worldwide, especially in the United States, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.  He also helps companies build worldwide business teams, create new business strategies, and raise funds for new projects.

Prior to joining The Luciano Group, David was Senior Vice President with IDT Telecom, and head of worldwide Strategic Management. 

In this role, David created over six million new EBIT dollars by reducing operations costs, improving quality of service, and growing new relationships with Tier-1 carriers around the globe. 

Growing experienced teams and raising funds has helped David grow businesses in previous positions, including his CEO role at SoftZoo.com in 1999, where he built his C-level team, recruited a top-flight Board, and raised millions of dollars of investment capital. Earlier in his career, David worked in management and executive positions in Fortune 500 companies, including the position of Business Development Officer for the cellular phone resale division of Capital One.

Since graduating Boston College, David earned an Executive MBA from the University of Miami. Through his professional and academic education, he has established a proven track record for strategic planning, business development, financial analysis, and entrepreneurial results. He serves on the Boards of four companies, including a national charity organization.

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Bryan Pearson - Founding Partner

Bryan Pearson has more than 40 years of management experience in the telecommunications industry. He started his career local exchange operations in London, followed by 17 years in BT headquarters dealing primarily with national policy issues and international operational matters at a senior level.

Bryan also served at senior executive levels for telecommunications companies such as Tele2, Millicom International Cellular and Mobile Systems International. He also served in several critical roles within the industry, such as:

» Advisor to a Director of Cable & Wireless PLC
» Director on the Boards of eight mobile telecommunications companies worldwide
» Alternate Governor at Intelsat
» UK Representative to Inmarsat.

At various times, Bryan has had operational responsibility for developing and managing international telecommunications routes, and Bryan has also supervised many others in these roles.

Bryan provides a wide range of business development services to companies and national governments in relation to the telecommunications industry, including the negotiation of interconnection and license agreements, the funding for network development, and the development of business and strategic plans for telecommunications operators and investors.

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Jeff Needel - Founding Partner
Jeff Needel is an experienced marketing executive with more than 20 years in the Telecommunications industry as a consultant, and as an employee of several of the world’s premier telecommunications companies (R and D, corporate and business units), including 18 years focused on the global communications market. He possesses diverse strategic and market planning experience, coupled with extensive involvement in global alliance/ joint venture/ acquisition integration and implementation. His experience incorporates extensive Telecommunications and Wireless Industry focus, engagements, and leadership positions.

Jeff has led, managed, or participated in engagements that involved the strategic assessment of Wireless Industry global business opportunities, business diversification, competitive assessment, organizational implications and planning, new service/concept assessment and development, satellite services, and strategic alliance planning. He also created strategic market assessments such as Wireline/Wireless Convergence for a major PTT that focused on competitive initiatives, customer trends, and implications of transformational technologies.

Jeff has also served as Global Director of Wireless IP Strategy and Marketing for a major global services provider, where he also developed MVNO strategy and plans for new Wireless services. Additional positions have included Global Managing Director for a portfolio of global wholesale Telecom services, which included product management and strategy responsibilities, and Practice Planning Director for Strategic Planning and Business Diversification at a premier telecommunications outsourcing organization. He has directed the development of integrated, multiple business unit globalization strategies focused on potential global/regional alliances and product/service opportunities, assessment of international strengths and weaknesses, competitive trends and needs, joint venture opportunities, customer needs, and market sizing.

Jeff is a Board member of a New Jersey-sponsored Incubator Group for startup, high-technology companies where he provides Marketing and Strategy mentoring and consulting. He holds a Masters Degree in Management Sciences and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, and is a member of several professional and industry societies. 

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Charlie Meyers - Founding Partner
Charlie is a results oriented, multi-disciplined leader with over twenty years of telecommunications experience in both operations and strategy. He has broad experience in FCC and government relations, central office engineering, equipment installation, network design, financial analysis, product management, and business planning. Charlie has significant experience in policy development, strategic planning, international operations and government relations.

Charlie has had frequent contact with telecom experts at the U.S. FCC and the Departments of State, Commerce and Justice and has met with telecom policy advisors at the OECD, the ITU, the WTO, and various other countries. He has extensive experience in designing and implementing business strategies for lessening or avoiding government regulation and in advising businesses on strategies to minimize the impact to their operations from governmental requirements.

While in AT&T’s international operations group Charlie managed a $20 million business unit responsible for providing interconnection and transport services at AT&T owned satellite earth stations and submarine cable stations.

Since leaving AT&T in 1998, Charlie has had numerous consulting engagements with a full range of entities, from small U.S. resellers to large government owned carriers. These engagements include advising an Asian government on the expected impact on market dynamics of its proposed “dominant” carrier regulation, advising a Latin American carrier on new revenue opportunities in implementing an advanced network technology, providing advice to a U.S. carrier on the WTO dispute on basic telecommunications between the United States and Mexico and advising an Asian wireless carrier on its interconnection strategies.

Charlie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Science degree from Pace University School of Advanced Management and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law.

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Simon Krieger - Partner

Simon has over 25 years experience leading large and small high technology and telecommunications companies - growing revenues and profits, developing products and markets and improving operational processes and results. He has had significant executive and operational success with Mergers & Acquisitions, Board Direction and Strategic Planning, Venture and Angel Fund Raising, Sales, Product Management and Marketing. Some highlights of Simon's career include:

» VP of Sales, Marketing and Product Management – turned around software company results, grew annual sales by 100%, introduced new business intelligence, revenue assurance and cost management solutions in USA and UK to over 20 wireless and wireline carriers and successfully sold and merged company into TEOCO – at Vibrant Solutions.
» Executive Vice President of Formity Systems - raised angel funds, rapidly built this start-up telecommunications expense management software company into a successful operational business – leading to an acquisition by Avotus at a substantial shareholder premium.
» Executive Vice President of Vectant, Inc.; a Marubeni company - built this small $10 million group into one of the top ten data networking and applications services businesses in Japan – with revenues of $200 million and a valuation in excess of $1 billion.
» VP, Global Markets for Concert - built and managed distributor network for Concert Services sold to North American companies.
» President, built WorldPartners Association from the ground up – recruited leading telecommunications carriers in 35 countries, provided global telecommunications services with contracted revenues of $1.5 billion from over 1,000 large Multinational Companies.
» Regional Managing Director, AT&T Asia Pacific - grew enterprise annual sales revenues to over $1 billion
» Managing Director – led carrier bilateral negotiations with KDD, IDC, ITJ and NTT – at AT&T Japan Ltd.
» Managing Director of AT&T Hong Kong Ltd - built and led AT&T's first P&L business in Hong Kong and first joint venture company, Hutchison-AT&T Network Services.
» Achieved early success at AT&T as a sales executive (top 1% of sales force), product manager (900 Services) and operations manager
» honed leadership development skills running the executive development program for AT&T's top 500 managers.
 

Simon received his MBA and Engineering degrees from Cornell University. He also attended the Executive Program at the University of Michigan. He serves on the Johnson School Dean's Leadership Committee, is Chairperson of the Major Gifts Committee and a Class Officer at Cornell. Simon has also been a member of several Boards and served on the Executive Roundtable of the Center for Telecommunications Management, The Marshall School, University of Southern California.

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Michael Ford – Director

Mike Ford has been involved in building and managing software, hardware and services businesses for over 25 years. Mike specializes in helping companies expand their business internationally, focusing on communication solutions for carriers and call centers. He regularly engages with a network of contacts at Tier 1-carriers, as well as their associated channels, systems integrators and strategic partners in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Prior to joining the Luciano Group, Mike provided business development and turn-around management for software solutions and wireless applications providers in Europe. Before starting his own consultancy, he was Avaya Vice President of Applications, EMEA. At Avaya, he managed a $100 million product group of VoIP, call center and voice application solutions, selling to large enterprises and carriers.

From 1997 to 2002, he was an officer and Vice President EMEA, at Interactive Intelligence, establishing a European base and growing the business from zero to a $10 million annual run rate. He was part of the management team taking Interactive Intelligence public on NASDAQ in 1999 and helping to drive to a capitalization of over $800 million.

He has been a leading international executive at Hayes Microcomputers, Computer Corporation of America, and the Burroughs Corporation.

He holds a Masters of International Business Studies (MIBS) from the University of South Carolina and a dual major in Business Administration and Economics from Pittsburg University, Kansas. Mike has lived and worked throughout the US, Europe and Latin America over his extensive career. He resides in Europe.

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             Tom Luciano
             David Schropfer
             Bryan Pearson
             Jeff Needel
             Charlie Meyers
             Simon Krieger
             Mike Ford
 
 
 
 
  Contact info@thelucianogroup.com for more information.