US giant Qwest Communications named Edward A. Mueller as its new cief executive officer, an Associated Press report said.
The Associated Press report said the longtime telecommunications industry vet and former head of Williams-Sonoma he wants time to explore each business strategy before making major decisions.
'I don't come in with a mandate to do something different,' he was quoted as saying. 'Obviously, there are challenges in any business, and we're in a sector that is changing as we speak. I do think we win in the end of the day not through technology, but through people and service.'
Qwest Communications, which operates a nationwide fiber optics network and a telephone service in 14 mostly Western states, tapped Mueller, 60, to replace retiring chairman and CEO Dick Notebaert, the report said.
The board believes Mueller's telecom and retail background will prove valuable as Qwest continues to whittle a niche in the evolving telecommunications landscape, according to the report.
Notebaert said Mueller was his No. 1 choice as a successor because of his industry and retail experience. 'Ed also is someone I have known for a very long time, so I feel very confident that he is the right leader for Qwest at this point in time,' he said.