The coronavirus has impacted business practices across the globe. At a time when everybody is forced to be apart, some companies are responsible for keeping businesses, employees, and families connected. Tami Erwin, Executive VP and Group CEO of Verizon Business, joined ChedHER to discuss how her team is responding to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
The Verizon Business team has employees and customers around the globe, and so the response started taking place about 60 days ago as the coronavirus was impacting Asia and Europe. Erwin, who leads the $32 billion B2B practice, told Cheddar that its key priorities are keeping employees safe and making sure they are available to meet the needs of customers in a crisis environment.
"We've had incredible opportunities to serve customers in unique and different ways as they expand their connectivity, they expand their VPN tunneling so that they have their access into their business systems, they set up remote locations they might not have otherwise planned," explained Erwin.
Earlier this week the U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort, arrived in New York City to help with the city's overburdened hospitals. The team at Verizon played a critical role in making sure the ship was set up with the connection it needs.
"We've been part of for example the Comfort as it came into New York several days ago, meeting that ship as it came in to provide core connectivity," said Erwin. "We create the networks that move the world forward, and if there's ever been a time that's true, it's now."
As a woman business leader in the tech world, Erwin also encouraged women out there to take an active role in the 5G process. She explained how women should face fear head-on, despite the current environment filled with anxiety and uncertainty.
"Women need to be a part of what's happening with technology or they will be left behind," said Erwin. "I believe that as we move into the fourth industrial revolution, fueled by 5G, this will be the opportunity for women now more than ever to really seize the moment and lead."
Nestlé has dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate. The company announced on Monday that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found that Freixe violated Nestlé’s code of conduct. He had been CEO for a year. Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive, will replace him. Chairman Paul Bulcke stated that the decision was necessary to uphold the company’s values and governance. Navratil began his career with Nestlé in 2001 and has held various roles, including CEO of Nestlé's Nespresso division since 2024.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
