Lumen Technologies has appointed Jim Fowler as its executive vice president and chief technology and product officer.

The new CTO is to succeed Dave Ward, who is leaving Lumen to become president and chief architect at Salesforce.

Currently CTO for Nationwide Insurance, Fowler has sat on Lumen’s board of directors since 2023, a position he effectively left on announcement of the new role.

Starting from January 6, Fowler will manage global technology and product strategy for Lumen, including development of the company’s network, digital platforms, and product offerings.

The exec has spent almost eight years at Nationwide, which he joined after an almost two-decade stint at General Electric (GE).

Fowler began as a manager at GE Aviation before heading to GE Corporate to lead its human capital management (HCM) framework.

He would become CTO of architecture and design for GE Infrastructure in 2005, before rejoining GE’s Aviation arm as CIO of supply chain.

This CIO role expanded to Intelligent Platform, Power Generation Services, and CSA Automation when he transferred to mainline GE in 2011, before joining GE Power & Water as CIO in 2014.

Fowler replaces Ward after the current CTO’s two-year tenure comes to an end.

Lumen CEO Kate Johnson thanked Ward’s “visionary leadership," claiming it “laid a foundation that will influence Lumen’s trajectory for years ahead.”

This has included the development of Lumen’s network-as-a-service (NaaS) platform and continued efforts to meet AI demand in the telecom space.

“Invention is where value is born. Execution is where value is realized. Jim is uniquely suited to lead our technology and product teams as we unlock the value of Dave’s contributions, solidifying our transformation progress and returning Lumen to revenue growth,” Johnson added.

“Lumen has a unique opportunity to strengthen its position as the trusted network for AI,” said Fowler. “I’ve seen first-hand, as a board member and a customer, the work this team has done to design a next-generation roadmap for the network and products."