AT&T tries to breathe McElfresh air into its communications division

US operator giant AT&T has unveiled lifer Jeff McElfresh CEO of AT&T Communications, replacing the retiring John Donovan.

McElfresh has been at AT&T for 25 years and was most recently President of AT&T Communications’ Technology and Operations group, which covers the techie side of things. Since we’re at the start of the switch to a new generation of mobile technology it would seem to make sense to promote someone from that side of the business. They could, of course, have recruited externally, but that doesn’t seem to be AT&T’s style.

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson doesn’t seem to fancy dealing with McElfresh on a regular basis, however, as he has created a new COO position that will be filled by John Stankey, who is currently in charge of all the stuff AT&T got with its massive Time Warner acquisition. He will now manage McElfresh as well at Warner Media and will also be the direct report for Brian Lesser, CEO of the AT&T’s digital advertising platform Xandr.

“Now is the time to more tightly align our collection of world-class content, scaled consumer relationships, technical know-how and innovative advertising technology,” said Stephenson.  “It’s the natural next step in bringing together the distinct and complimentary capabilities of AT&T Communications, WarnerMedia and Xandr to deliver for consumers the benefits of a modern media company.

“AT&T is alone in the industry in being able to bring together these three great businesses for the launch of innovative consumer offers, relevant advertising and new entertainment services like HBO Max.

“John is an outstanding executive who has led nearly every area of our business, helped shape our strategy and excelled at operations throughout his career. The Board and I look forward to John hitting the ground running in his new role as president and COO.

“And I’m excited to have Jeff leading our communications business into the future. He is an accomplished leader with experience across our business — from strategy, technology and network, to marketing, operations and customer experience. This past year, Jeff led the team that won AT&T recognition for having the best, fastest and most reliable wireless network in the country.”

You have to wonder what that leaves for Stephenson to do, other than approve canned quotes for press releases. Still, he’s been a t the helm for 12 years so he’s earned the right to spend more time with his golf clubs.