Lumos Announces Leadership Promotions to Support Continued Growth and Scale; CEO Brian Stading to Retire Following Planned Transition

HIGH POINT, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lumos today announced several leadership promotions that further strengthen the company’s operating foundation as it continues to grow and scale its fiber broadband footprint. The company also announced that Chief Executive Officer Brian Stading plans to retire at the end of the first quarter, following a thoughtful and well-planned transition.

David Smith has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO). Over his 13 years at Lumos, Smith has played a pivotal role in the company’s evolution, from early network expansion to scaling operations across new markets and supporting Lumos’s emergence as a high-growth fiber provider. Known for his steady leadership and strategic mindset, Smith has strengthened operational discipline and guided the organization through periods of significant transformation.

Josh Many has been promoted to Chief Network Officer (CNO). In this role, Many will oversee engineering, planning, construction, and field operations, ensuring Lumos’s network continues to scale safely, efficiently, and reliably in support of the company’s long-term growth objectives and its partnership with T-Mobile. Under his leadership, Lumos accelerated network build and market expansion, reaching approximately 50,000 passings per month while maintaining a strong focus on quality, safety, and operational excellence.

These promotions reflect the continued evolution of our leadership structure as Lumos scales. David and Josh bring proven leadership, deep operational expertise, and a shared commitment to our mission, ensuring we have the capabilities in place to support sustained growth and long-term success.

In addition, Lumos announced that CEO Brian Stading plans to retire at the end of the first quarter after leading the company through a period of significant growth and transformation. Since joining Lumos in 2022, Stading led the expansion of fiber broadband access across numerous communities, overseeing nearly 700,000 new home passings and expanding the company’s footprint from two states to ten across the Midwest and Eastern U.S.

“Working here at Lumos has been the highlight of my career – a true honor from the very beginning,” Stading said. “It has been my privilege to be part of this journey and I’m proud of what this team has accomplished together. I look forward to watching the company continue to grow, innovate, and deliver for customers and communities for years to come.”

Stading will work closely with Lumos leadership during the transition to ensure continuity as the company remains focused on serving customers, investing in communities, and expanding access to reliable fiber broadband.

About Lumos: Lumos delivers 100% Fiber Optic Internet and Whole-Home Wi-Fi to a growing network of homes, businesses and multi-family buildings throughout the Midwest and Eastern US. Lumos, part of T-Mobile Fiber Home Internet, is accelerating its mission to build a local, transformational, 100% Fiber Optic network and to bring even more value to customers through T-Mobile benefits. Lumos believes the possibilities of tomorrow cannot be built on the infrastructure of yesterday, so we’re building an Internet equipped for the most hopeful of all things – the future. Because whatever the future holds, we make it faster. Learn more at www.LumosFiber.com.

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