Bell Atlantic and GTE Designate Senior Executives For Merged Company

NEW YORK and IRVING, Texas -- Bell Atlantic and GTE today further defined the structure of the company they are forming through their merger by designating 23 senior executives for leadership positions in key business units and corporate organizations. The designations take effect upon completion of the merger, which the companies aim to conclude around the end of the first quarter.

Telecom

The new company's telecom business, the largest in the U.S., will be led by the following executives, who will report to Lawrence T. Babbio, designated vice chairman and president:

• Frederick D. D'Alessio, Bell Atlantic group president - consumer services, will be president - advanced services, overseeing long distance, digital subscriber line services, competitive local exchange activities, web hosting and video services.
• Bruce S. Gordon, Bell Atlantic group president - enterprise business, will be president - retail markets, with responsibility for consumer and general business customers.
• Paul A. Lacouture, Bell Atlantic group president - network services, will be president - wholesale markets, with responsibility for sales and services to wholesale customers, and for all network technology and engineering.
• Eduardo R. Menasce, chairman and CEO of CTI, GTE's wireless venture in Argentina, will be president - enterprise solutions, focusing on large business customers and strategic accounts.
• Eileen O. Odum, regional president - Northwest for GTE, will be president - national operations, with responsibility for all aspects of service provisioning and customer care.
• Doreen A. Toben, Bell Atlantic vice president and controller, will be senior vice president and Telecom CFO.Internetworking, Information Services and International

Reporting to Michael T. Masin, designated president and vice chairman, will be leaders of GTE Internetworking and the new company's information services and international operations:

• Paul R. Gudonis will continue as president of GTE Internetworking, GTE's Internet backbone and data services business. Reporting to Gudonis will be Joseph C. Farina, president and CEO of Bell Atlantic's Data Solutions Group, who will be executive vice president and COO, and Daniel P. O'Brien, GTE executive vice president - Finance and CFO, who will be executive vice president and CFO.

Under a proposal filed with the FCC on Jan. 27, upon the close of the merger GTE Internetworking will become an independent company with public shareholders, and Gudonis will become CEO.

• Katherine J. Harless, president - GTE Airfone, will be president - information services, with responsibility for directory publishing and online services.
• Thomas A. Bartlett, Bell Atlantic president and CEO - international wireless, will become president - global network and transport solutions, with responsibility for international connectivity and long distance.
• Daniel C. Petri, Bell Atlantic president - international telecommunications, will be president - International, Europe/Asia.
• Fares F. Salloum, GTE senior vice president - international operations, will be president - International, The Americas.
• Alfred C. Giammarino, GTE senior vice president - international finance, will be senior vice president and CFO for Masin's group.

Wireless

The companies also named the leaders of the national wireless business being formed through the Bell Atlantic-GTE merger and the combination of the U.S. wireless assets of Bell Atlantic and Vodafone AirTouch. They will report to the venture's designated p resident, Dennis F. Strigl:

• Lowell C. McAdam, president and CEO of PrimeCo Personal Communications, will be executive vice president and COO.
• Edward Langston, CFO of the USA/Asia Pacific region for Vodafone AirTouch, will be vice president and CFO.
• Richard J. Lynch, executive vice president and Chief Technical Officer for Bell Atlantic Mobile, will hold the same position in the new company.

Corporate Leadership

Two of the senior executives designated today will report directly to Charles R. Lee and Ivan Seidenberg, who will be co-CEOs of the new company:

• James A. Attwood, GTE executive vice president - strategic development and planning, will be executive vice president - strategy, development and planning.
• Mary Beth Bardin, GTE senior vice president - public affairs and communications, will be executive vice president - public affairs and communications.

Reporting to Frederic V. Salerno, designated vice chairman and CFO, will be:

• William F. Heitmann, Bell Atlantic acting treasurer and vice president - asset management, will be vice president and treasurer.
• John F. Killian, Bell Atlantic vice president - investor relations, will hold the same position in the new company.

Thomas J. Tauke, Bell Atlantic senior vice president - government relations and acting executive vice president - external affairs and corporate communications, will be senior vice president - public policy and external affairs, reporting to William P. Ba rr, executive vice president and general counsel of the new company.