Overview

Gender

male

Investor Type

Angel

Ralph de la Vega is President and CEO — AT&T Mobility, a position he has held since 2007. He is responsible for the company's largest growth engine. Today, AT&T is the industry's mobile broadband leader and number-one smartphone provider.

From October 2008 to January 2012, de la Vega served as President and CEO-AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. In addition to the company's wireless business, he led the company's local consumer wireline operations, including U-verse TV® which has received numerous industry awards.

Prior to becoming head of AT&T's Mobility organization, de la Vega served as group president-Regional Telecommunications and Entertainment, with responsibility for overall leadership in AT&T's regional wired business, including consumer and regional business sales and network. He was appointed to that post in January 2007, after the close of the AT&T-BellSouth merger, which consolidated ownership of Cingular.

From 2004-2006, he served as chief operating officer of Cingular Wireless, with responsibility for technology planning, network operations, marketing, sales and customer care.

Before joining Cingular in January 2004, he served as president-BellSouth Latin America, with overall responsibility for BellSouth's operations in 11 countries: Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Nicaragua, Brazil and Guatemala.

Earlier, he served as BellSouth's president of Broadband and Internet Services. In this position, he had overall responsibility for the deployment, marketing and operations of broadband services. In addition, he had responsibility for BellSouth Internet Services and BellSouth's rapidly growing data support groups.

De la Vega started his career in 1974 with BellSouth (then Southern Bell) as a management assistant. He has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility in Network Planning, Consumer Services, Engineering and Operations — including a rotational assignment at Telcordia (Bellcore) — and was responsible for all BellSouth Telecommunications Network Operations in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

De la Vega serves on the boards of New York Life Insurance Company, the Georgia Aquarium and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. He is extensively involved in nonprofit and community organizations, serving as chairman of Junior Achievement Worldwide and chairman of Hispanic initiatives for the Boy Scouts of America. He was inducted into the Hispanic Scholarship Fund's prestigious Alumni Hall of Fame, which honors select Hispanics for their personal achievements, contributions and service to America.

De la Vega has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and a master's degree in business administration from Northern Illinois University. He completed the Executive Program at the University of Virginia and received an honorary doctorate from FAU.

He is also the author of the best-selling book Obstacles Welcome: Turn Adversity into Advantage in Business and Life (Thomas Nelson, 2009).

A native of Cuba, de la Vega and his family live in Atlanta, GA.