Fiber optic provider Lumos has announced the appointment of Scott Mispagel as its new CEO.

Mispagel takes over effective immediately from Brian Stading, who announced his retirement earlier this year. The two will work together over the coming weeks as part of the transition.

Mispagel most recently served as senior vice president of national engineering & operations at Frontier Communications. During this stint there, he helped Frontier build out its fiber footprint to more than 10 million locations.

He spent close to nearly 13 years at Frontier and also previously held leadership roles at Windstream and GTE.

“Lumos has built something truly special. A strong company with a talented team, a clear vision for growth, and a deep commitment to the customers, partners, and communities it serves,” said Mispagel. “I’m honored to join Lumos at such an exciting time. The opportunity ahead is tremendous, and I look forward to working with this exceptional team to continue delivering world-class fiber infrastructure to the communities we connect.”

He joins Lumos a year after the company was acquired by US carrier T-Mobile, as part of the telco's plans to bolster its fiber presence. T-Mobile acquired Lumos as part of a JV with EQT Infrastructure.

It represents a change in leadership since Stading was appointed CEO of Lumos in 2022.

“Scott is an accomplished and highly respected industry leader with a proven ability to scale organizations, drive operational excellence, and build high-performing teams,” said Stading.

“As Lumos enters its next phase of growth, I’m confident Scott’s leadership experience and strategic vision make him the ideal person to guide the company forward. Serving as CEO of Lumos has been one of the greatest privileges of my career."

As part of the JV, T-Mobile and EQT aim to reach 3.5 million homes by the end of 2028.

The carrier will invest $950 million into the JV, with an additional $500m planned between 2027 and 2028.