AireSpring SVP Solutions Engineering Mike Chase talks with VMware VP and GM of SASE business Abe Ankumah for the inaugural article of their WAN Insiders Experts Series. The interview takes an in-depth look at SSL termination, what your firewall isn’t telling you, and how VMware’s SD-WAN Client will play a critical role in making SASE work seamlessly for global endpoints, making adoption a no-brainer for enterprises.
SENIOR VP MARKETING
Ellen Cahill is a strategic marketing expert with more than 20 years of proven results in the technology and software industry. She has served as Vice President of Marketing for Natural MD Search, VP of Product Marketing for IT Security provider Beyond Trust, and VP of Marketing for mobile solutions provider Thinque. Ellen is accomplished in relaunching acquired companies under new corporate brands to accelerate revenue and integrating products lines into existing product portfolios. She is recognized as a highly savvy marketing guru with specialties including Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), cloud computing, enterprise software, product marketing, lead generation and social media.
GENERAL COUNSEL
Rod Rummelsburg brings extensive experience in intellectual property, corporate and commercial Law, litigation and alternative dispute resolution to AireSpring including over 15 years of managing the transactional, litigation, negotiation and IP/patent needs of several domestic and international telecommunications and Internet companies. Mr. Rummelsburg has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in multimillion dollar litigation matters in California, numerous state and federal courts and various appellate courts including the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal. As in-house counsel at American Tower Corp. (NYSE: AMT), formerly Interpacket Networks, Inc., Mr. Rummelsburg managed telecommunications, regulatory, and legal issues for subsidiaries and customers in approximately 125 countries. Additionally, Mr. Rummelsburg has negotiated and structured telecommunication deals with numerous foreign government-owned utility companies. Mr. Rummelsburg is admitted to practice law in all federal and state courts in California and is a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Rummelsburg has a comprehensive understanding of all phases of software development, having worked for many years at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, TRW and Hughes Aircraft designing and developing software communications and information systems. After earning a BA from UCLA, Mr. Rummelsburg graduated with honors from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA with a MS in Computer Science and earned a J.D. degree with honors from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, CA.
EXECUTIVE VP PRODUCT MANAGEMENT
Mr. Lonstein previously ran the Customer Service Division at ADDTEL Communications and has 20 years of experience in all aspects of the telecommunications industry, including customer service, repair, and product management. Since joining AireSpring, he has been deeply involved in the company’s growth as the Director of Customer Service and later the Vice President of Carrier Relations. In his current role as Executive Vice President of Product Management, Mr. Lonstein oversees product development and management, special pricing, and the QuoteSpring proposal generation platform.
EXECUTIVE VP
With over 30 years experience in international trading, Mr. Lonstein was the former co-founder and Chairman of ADDTEL Communications. Mr. Lonstein was responsible for the overall strategic direction for ADDTEL. Mr. Lonstein was involved in extensive negotiations with major carriers, including AT&T and MCI, as well as with major customers, which included such company as Earthlink Network. Mr. Lonstein’s prior experience includes the complex structure of several multinational trading agreements, as well as international import/export and commodities trading.
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Mr. Vigen has 30 years of experience in financial and executive management positions, including as the Chief Operating Officer of Justice Technology, which was named the Inc. 500 Winner for #1 Fastest Growing Private Company in the USA 1999. He also served as the Vice President of Finance for GSM and national carriers overseas. Mr. Vigen oversaw acquisitions by IDB Communications of FTC Communications – France Telecom (USA) and World Communications (formerly part of ITT – International Telephone and Telegraph), as well as the sale of IDB itself to LDDS.
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER
Daniel Lonstein is responsible for the day-to-day operations of AireSpring, including the sales and marketing of its award-winning cloud communications solutions. He possesses extensive experience in the sales process both inside and outside of the communications industry. Since AireSpring was founded in 2001, Mr. Lonstein has consistently anticipated and led the transition from legacy services to VoIP and cloud solutions. Mr. Lonstein draws upon his over twenty-five years of experience in the telecommunications and high tech industries to create cutting edge products, direct sales and channel programs, and the operational teams necessary to support the delivery of mission critical products and services to small businesses and Fortune 100 brands alike in the highly competitive Unified Communications and Contact Center industries.
In his position at the forefront of change in the industry, Mr. Lonstein has participated in multiple panels and published numerous articles on the latest products and technology trends in the US and abroad. He has lived and worked in Japan, Israel, and South Africa. Prior to AireSpring, Mr. Lonstein was co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of ADDTEL Communications and has previously held positions at On Target Market Research and Tel-Aviv based USTM Partners, as well as consulting for various international telecommunications conglomerates on how to export high tech and telecom products to the US.
Senior VP of Service Delivery
Stephen Wolod is a highly effective leader with many years of experience in steering large organizations to success. Prior to joining AireSpring, Stephen served as the AVP of Service Delivery and Service Management Operations for the Public Sector at AT&T. This included overseeing critical areas such as FirstNet, 911 services, Partner Solutions, and Wholesale Operations. Under his leadership, Stephen managed all aspects of service delivery and post-implementation support for wireline and wireless products and services, generating annual revenues exceeding $11 billion.
Before his promotion to AVP, Wolod served as Assistant Vice President - Service Delivery/Service Management, where he was responsible for service delivery and support for wireline, wireless technologies, and wholesale and partner solutions for public sector customers, including Federal, State, and Local Agencies, 911, and FirstNet customers. This position represented the largest customer responsibility scope within AT&T's Customer Service and Operations division.
Stephen is renowned for his enthusiastic leadership style and his unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional customer service. He is laser-focused on responsiveness in highly complex and sensitive environments, excelling in leading diverse workforces to solve intricate issues through innovation and transformation.
SENIOR VP OF CUSTOMER SUCCESS
Ken Bisnoff has over 30 years of experience leading high-performing organizations through periods of rapid organizational growth and expansion. As a founding member of the TPx Communications executive team, he played a pivotal role in that company's explosive growth and transformation from a small startup regional CLEC to a billion-dollar national managed services provider.
Ken has a deep understanding of industry trends, sales processes, business communications, and strategic and tactical execution. During his time at TPx, Ken held various roles that included leading direct and indirect sales, human resources, and marketing communications as well as guiding sales teams through market, tech, and M&A transformations. Ken’s track record of achievement as a channel leader includes recognition by CRN magazine as a Top 50 Most Influential “Channel Chief” in 2023, and from 2017 to 2019. He also earned the Circle of Excellence Award in 2017 from Channel Partners Magazine. Ken has served on the advisory boards of both the Technology Channel Association and Channel Partners.
Before joining AireSpring, Ken served as Senior Vice President and Channel Chief Americas at GTT. Bisnoff was also a co-founder of leading telecom industry consultancy Eagleteq Advisors (now X4 Advisors). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
SENIOR VP OF MOBILITY
David Hess serves Senior Vice President of Mobility. David spearheads AireSpring’s expanding mobility strategy targeting Wireless WAN, IoT, Data, Voice, and Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) solutions.
David is a seasoned telecommunications leader with an influential level of experience within the Virtual Mobile Operator (VNO) sector. He has held prominent positions in the industry, most recently as the Senior Vice President of North America Sales for Pareteum, where he created and grew a sizeable business unit within that organization, targeting the IoT and VNO segments.
David’s accomplishments in the telecommunication industry are highlighted with many success stories related to driving growth and building value for Communication Service Providers (CSPs) both in the US and globally. Starting his career in sales, Hess then moved rapidly up into notable executive level roles, with companies such as KDDI & Telia as well as other emerging telecommunication service providers.
David brings over 22 years of success leading operations and sales in the telecommunication, cloud infrastructure, and managed service provider markets. His accomplishments in the telecommunication industry are highlighted by many success stories related to driving growth and building value for Communication Service Providers (CSPs) both in the US and globally.
SENIOR VP OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Yang Yu is a highly regarded technology executive who spent over 15 years in various roles with IBM, rising from Systems Engineer with IBM Global Services to Delivery Project Executive, and ultimately Group CIO. In his role as Delivery Project Executive for IBM’s Business Transformation Program, Yang was responsible for implementation of the Blue Harmony software application throughout IBM worldwide. Following the success of this project, Mr. Yang was promoted to IBM Greater China Group CIO for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Following his tenure at IBM, Yang accepted a position as CIO with Prolacta Bioscience, a pioneer in providing human milk-based nutritional products for premature infants in the neonatal ICU.
Mr. Yu’s role at AireSpring incorporates his background in solution architecture and strategy, resource management and more. His deep experience in global markets and technology is instrumental in creating the innovative, adaptive environment that will best serve our partners and customers into the future. Yang holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of California, Riverside, as well as an MBA with emphasis in Management Information Systems (MIS) and Finance from the prestigious Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Additionally, Mr. Yu has added certifications including the Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute, and certification in IT Architecture from The Open Group, a global technology standards consortium.
SENIOR VP OF CHANNEL SALES
John Young is a highly respected telecom industry executive, with a deep record of innovation and leadership in both direct and channel sales. John joined AireSpring after more than 13 years at NetFortris where he was Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Global Channel Chief. His broad range of responsibilities there included both Enterprise and Channel Sales, Channel Marketing and Account Management. John previously served as Senior Vice President of Global Sales at Fonality (acquired by NetFortris in 2018) where he developed the North American and international sales teams and programs from the ground up, managing a large team of global Enterprise, Channel and Account Management sales reps, directors and VPs. During his career John has been invaluable in developing many unique partnerships with VARs, master agencies and sub-agents.
SENIOR VP OPERATIONS
Darren Sandford has over two decades of experience building and operating telecommunication networks across the United States of America and Canada. Darren has recognized expertise in innovating and launching unique products into the marketplace, optimizing significant annual budgets for operational and financial success, and assisting executives in developing and implementing corporate strategies. He has previously held senior management and executive roles at various national and global telecom corporations, including Covad Communications, Pac-West Telecomm, and Primus Telecommunications, and also served as the Vice President for Technology Deployment at the California Emerging Technology Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides statewide leadership to close the “digital divide.”
SENIOR VP STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Wendell Nelson is a telecom industry veteran, with more than 25 years in the industry, successfully managing teams and building partnerships that deliver results. He has served as Vice President of Corporate Development at TailWind Voice & Data, expanding their opportunities beyond national technical support and dispatch services and into the connectivity business. Previously, he ran wholesale sales for Global Capacity, MegaPath and Covad Communications, building a reputation for success as an executive in corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, finance, engineering, sales and operations.
