Rod Millar will step down from his role as Sprint’s senior vice president of product and supply chain next year, the carrier confirmed.
Millar joined Sprint in early 2015 after more than seven years as an executive at Tech Data Mobile, a U.K.-based distributor of mobile devices. He initially headed up Sprint’s leasing, reverse logistics and buyback operations, and earlier this year during an extensive front-office shakeup he replaced David Owens, who had served as senior VP of product and had been with Sprint more than 25 years.
Sprint had yet to publicly release the news, but spokesman David Tovar confirmed that the carrier had announced it internally. Sprint is “actively searching” for a replacement, Tovar said via email, and Millar agreed to stay in his role to ensure a smooth transition.
The carrier said Millar is leaving to pursue other opportunities but didn’t disclose further details about his impending departure.
Sprint’s front office has been shuffled significantly ever since Marcelo Claure took the helm as CEO in August 2014. Claure brought in a new set of lieutenants swiftly upon his hiring, and the carrier continued to make high-level changes over the last 18 months as it sought to cut as much as $2.5 billion from its budget through layoffs and other moves.
It certainly appears that Millar is opting to leave of his own accord, however. He was Claure’s hire rather than being a holdover from the previous leadership team at Sprint, and the two men worked together when Millar served as president of Brightstar Europe, a 50/50 joint venture between Tech Data Corp. and Brightstar, which Claure founded and headed before joining Sprint.
Millar “contributed a great deal to Sprint during his two years with the company and we wish him well in the future,” Tovar said.