AT&T Hesse spent 23 years at
AT&T where he started out as an intern. From 1991 to 1995, he was president and CEO of AT&T Network Systems International based in the
Netherlands. He launched the online division's
AT&T Worldnet service in February 1996, which introduced unlimited internet dial up for $20/month for subscribers to AT&T's long-distance services. In May 1997, he became chief executive officer of
AT&T Wireless. During this time, Hesse was named 1998's Wireless Industry Person of the Year
RCR Magazine.
Terabeam Corporation From March 2000 to June 2004, Hesse was CEO and chairman of
Terabeam Corporation.
Embarq Corporation In June 2005, Hesse joined Sprint and oversaw the spinoff of its landline division into a separate public company–
Embarq Corporation. Hesse was the President and CEO of Embarq from May 2006 until December 2007.
Sprint Hesse was named CEO of Sprint Nextel on December 17, 2007. During his tenure, Hesse appeared in ten television commercials for the company. The black and white ads, created by
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, were filmed in
New York City. Hesse joined Sprint as the company was losing customers following the
merger with Nextel. His strategy to stem further losses included improved customer service, an increased emphasis on prepaid cell phones, a deal with
Apple to sell
iPhones, and a 4G presence investment/ownership stake in
WiMAX-provider
Clearwire. He also added retail stores across the nation in an attempt for increased in-person customer service. During Hesse's tenure, Sprint went from last place to first in the wireless industry in customer satisfaction according to
JD Power and the
American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). During his last two full calendar years as CEO, Sprint's total shareholder return ranked #1 among all S&P 500 companies. Corporate Responsibility Magazine recognized Hesse with the Corporate Responsibility Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. Hesse was also named a Top Rated CEO on Glassdoor and one of five "Best Turnaround CEOs of All Time" by
Fierce Wireless." The
American India Foundation honored Hesse for Excellence in Corporate Leadership and Philanthropy in 2014. Hesse led the acquisition of 80 percent of Sprint by
Softbank in July 2013 and remained for a year to complete the transition. On August 6, 2014 Sprint announced that Hesse would be succeeded by
Marcelo Claure, founder of
Brightstar Corporation. Hesse is on the boards of directors for the following organizations: • The National Board of Governors of the
Boys & Girls Clubs of America • The JUST Capital Foundation •
PNC Financial Services, where Hesse chairs the Technology Subcommittee ==References==