TECHCALIBER - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Director
• Director With TC2
• Overview Education Podcasts

Tony Mangino is a Director with TC2 leveraging extensive experience in the procurement of today's market-leading MPLS, hybrid WAN and cutting edge, application aware SD-WAN solutions spanning both a U.S. and global footprint. Tony brings to bear his detail-oriented expertise in all phases of the procurement process to obtain sizable cost reductions in projects for highly globalized, financial service, brand-name manufacturers and services companies. These projects typically feature MPLS service selection at their core, increasingly combined with "Internet First" strategies, networking for Cloud, Managed Services and transformational initiatives. In these projects, Tony provides all critical functions to clients including: complex cost modeling, technical design and solutions support, business case development, commercial strategy development and contract negotiation.

Job Titles:

• Managing Director
• Managing Director at TC2
• Overview Education Podcasts
• TC2 Consultant

Ben Fox is a Managing Director at TC2 based in London, UK. Ben specializes in leading complex IT strategy, procurement, negotiation, and transformation projects, typically spanning multiple geographical regions, technologies, and vendors. With values ranging from $10 million to over $1 billion, these projects often involve 7- or 8-figure annual savings coupled with fundamental upgrades of clients' IT services, operations, and infrastructure. Crucial to Ben's work is his expertise in a wide range of IT services and technologies, managed and outsourced service models, and global IT procurements and negotiations. Many of Ben's recent projects have involved the large-scale deployment of new technologies, IT outsourcing, and the development of rigorous transformation business cases, which have spanned a diverse portfolio of IT deals including cloud, SaaS, software, digital workplace services, data center outsourcing, enterprise networking, managed print and fintech services. Ben has a deep understanding of the critical tasks required to develop and implement technology and procurement strategies, write tender documents, analyze baseline costs and inventory, model the Total Cost of Ownership of complex bids, and lead negotiations with suppliers. He combines meticulous analysis and preparation with a constructive, rather than adversarial, approach to negotiations to gain maximum benefit for clients. Ben has led the negotiations for some of the industry's largest and most complex enterprise IT transactions. Ben also has particularly extensive experience and deep expertise in enterprise networking and telecom services and infrastructure, including network transport technologies, LAN, WAN, and security technologies and services, unified communications and contact center, wireless services, negotiating with Cisco and other network OEMs, and managed network services and outsourcing. Ben became a TC2 consultant after serving in the London telecommunications sourcing group of the Deloitte consulting arm. At Deloitte, Ben specialized in telecommunications network sourcing and outsourcing projects, including $100 million+ long-term telecom outsourcing deals for large UK companies. Ben holds a Master of Science in Physics from the Imperial College London University.

Job Titles:

• Senior Consultant
• Overview Education Podcasts
• Senior Consultant at TC2

Brent Knight is a Senior Consultant at TC2 based in Raleigh, North Carolina, with over 25 years of experience in the IT services industry. He is a proven leader in executing global strategic sourcing initiatives and driving significant cost savings for his clients. Brent has a deep focus in IT financial management and analysis and is responsible for leading the cost modeling and financial analysis for TC2's most complex engagements. He has in-depth knowledge of cloud computing, managed services and IT outsourcing, and network services. Brent's network sourcing expertise includes global Internet network solutions, legacy MPLS, IP Voice, UC solutions, and SD-WAN. Recent cloud work has included cloud business case development and analysis, cloud consumption cost modeling and forecasting, and CSP comparative pricing analysis and benchmarking. Brent provides comprehensive sourcing support, ranging from benchmarking and business case development to TCO savings assessment and key commercial terms review and negotiation. He specializes in developing and managing complex scenario analysis models to accurately project financial impacts from various solution alternatives. Recent projects include the procurement of cloud services for over 1,200 applications, a 650-site MPLS/DIA network that was competitively bid for refresh along with new SD-WAN service, and a 1,200-circuit global "Internet First" RFP along with SIP in North America and Europe. These procurements achieved savings of greater than 45% for our clients. Brent's experience includes 20 years at Verizon where he served in senior offer management positions developing industry-leading proposals to acquire and maintain enterprise customers. Combining this experience with his years at TC2 provides an "insider" 360-degree perspective on the contract proposal and negotiation process. He understands the critical internal "deal team" processes that a carrier like Verizon utilizes and leverages this insight to help secure optimal financial and contractual solutions for TC2's customers. Brent holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and an MBA from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.

Job Titles:

• Senior Consultant
• Overview Education Podcasts

Bryan Carriker is a Senior Consultant based in Raleigh, North Carolina with 20+ years of experience in network and IT services industries. He leads global teams supporting Fortune 100 global outsourcing contracts in the financial and healthcare services industries (+$200M/y). Bryan is effective in leveraging his broad operational experience and industry best practices knowledge in combination with his excellent relationship and leadership skills to the benefit of the client and other stakeholders. He has expertise to ensure business goals align with operational function, and the establishment of organizational structures and governance frameworks to define engagements. He operates equally well at strategic and tactical levels in addressing and supporting clients with global Enterprise IT and Communications Services. Prior to joining TC2, Bryan held critical leadership roles in support of Verizon's largest commercial and global enterprise IT/Telecommunications outsourcing clients. He led significant turn-around efforts in commercial project delivery, regional governance and relationship management. He collocated with clients in Singapore and across multiple USA locations during his tenure, leveraging skills in international organization management, and defining and implementing complex solutions across 90+ countries in North America, Latin America, EMEA and Asia Pacific. Bryan holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration of Management of Information Systems from Appalachian State University and a MS in Management of Information Technology from the University of Virginia.

Job Titles:

• Technology Director
• Overview Education Podcasts
• Technology Director at TC2

David Lee is the Technology Director at TC2 with over 20 years of technical and management experience in technology infrastructure, networking services and telecommunications. He manages large multidisciplinary and international teams, and has developed solutions which apply procurement strategies and networking technologies to solve business problems and reduce costs for his Fortune 100 clients. David's work at TC2 derives from a unique combination of professional engineering credentials and deep experience in telecommunications procurement. He focuses on global wide-area network infrastructure design issues and service level requirements critical to successful MPLS and IP Telephony procurements. David also assists clients in the project management and resolution of technical issues during their MPLS deployments. As a result, David has led or contributed to several global data and telephony managed services benchmarking, design, and procurement projects across several industries. He is regularly quoted in publications such as Network World, Internet Week, Insurance & Technology, and Crain's New York Business, and is a frequent industry speaker on network services, procurement and outsourcing. David holds an electrical engineering degree from Northwestern University. His past technology and leadership experience includes positions with Deloitte Consulting, Booz Allen & Hamilton, IBM, California Microwave, and US Interactive. He is based in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Job Titles:

• Senior Consultant
• Finance Leader and Key Member
• Overview Education Podcasts
• Senior Consultant at TC2

Frank Zagrodnik is a Senior Consultant at TC2 based in Atlanta, Georgia, with 20 years of experience in information and communication technologies (ICT) and Fintech industries. He is a proven leader in providing financial assessments, benchmarking analyses, business case development and driving significant cost savings for his clients. Frank has been a finance leader and key member of multiple global teams supporting Fortune 500 outsourcing contracts in the financial, healthcare and manufacturing industries. He supports his clients through all phases of strategic sourcing engagements, from sourcing strategy and business case development, executing the RFP process, evaluating supplier proposals, TCO savings assessments and cost modeling, through to contract negotiations. Frank's expertise combines a unique blend of Six Sigma, outsourcing and managed services, telecommunication technologies, and Fintech - SaaS knowledge, with an unrelenting focus on creating financial value for enterprise buyers. Prior to joining TC2 Frank worked for Fiserv, where he was a Director of finance; Verizon, where he served in senior pricing, offer management, financial planning and analysis positions and was an original member of the Commercial Management (Enterprise Outsourcing) team; and MCI, where he led pricing and offer management engagements. Frank holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse and an MBA in Finance from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. Frank is also a Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

Job Titles:

• Director
• Director at TC2
• Overview Education Podcasts

Julie Gardner is a Director at TC2, based in Atlanta, Georgia with over 25 years of finance and telecommunications experience. Julie works with many of her clients on a regular basis in a lifecycle services arrangement providing benchmarking, financial accounting, forecasting and accrual assistance, and performing billing and optimization reviews to identify cost savings opportunities. In addition to lifecycle work, Julie leads and assists with a variety of RFPs for network services, managed services, TEM services, and CCaaS services. She also leads and assists with benchmarking, compliance reviews, and strategy assessments for those services. Recently, she served as Program Manager for the implementation of a global CCaaS solution after leading the RFP and negotiations. As a leader in TC2's Contract Compliance and Optimization practice, she saves her clients millions annually by identifying cost savings opportunities and billing errors that were missed by others including TEM providers. Julie's financial background, attention to detail, and ability to quickly grasp complex contracting and billing arrangements are particularly appreciated by her clients. She draws on her previous experience in audit at KPMG in Atlanta and in IT management at Gateway Computer. While at Gateway, Julie was responsible for managing telecommunications expense, contracts, and vendors in a dynamic and ever-changing environment. She identified, negotiated, and recovered millions of dollars in billing issues and irregularities, and managed multiple rate reviews and global telecommunications RFPs. Julie graduated with honors from JM Tull School of Accounting at the University of Georgia.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Overview Education Podcasts

Keith Cook is a Director at TC2 based in the Atlanta area and is an original consultant with TC2 since January 2000. Keith has assisted clients in both sole-source and competitive telecommunications procurement and the related contract negotiations, producing millions of dollars in savings. His expertise spans all phases of the procurement process - data collection, network cost modeling, unit rate benchmarking, RFP development and evaluation, procurement strategy and contract negotiations - for both traditional wireline (local and interexchange) and wireless services. Keith brings 25 years of telecommunications procurement and financial analytics experience supporting dozens of multinational customers across the Fortune 500. In particular, he specializes in leverage analysis and strategy development to address achievable gaps between carrier offers - both sole-source and competitive procurements - and leading-edge market rates. His recent projects include procurement of a 600-site global MPLS network, plus assisting with the sourcing of SD-WAN and a competitive sourcing of Internet First WAN services for a 3,000-site U.S. network. For a large investment bank, Keith modeled and negotiated one overall master agreement that covered some $28 million in local and long distance voice and data services with a single, easily attainable revenue commitment. Before starting at TC2, Keith was with the Telecommunications Networking Practice of Deloitte Consulting. Keith holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Job Titles:

• Senior Consultant
• Overview Education Podcasts
• TC2 Senior Consultant

Kim Olson is a TC2 Senior Consultant with over 20 years of telecommunication experience. At TC2, she assists with benchmarking, contract compliance and audit work. This includes baseline development, benchmarking analysis, contract implementation, audit of existing network services and optimization review for voice, data and wireless services. She uses her knowledge of telecom contracts and billing to deliver savings to her clients. This knowledge has led to the recovery of millions of dollars in billing issues and irregularities. Kim regularly interacts with her clients and their supplier account teams to resolve billing issues identified and to ensure that her client's negotiated rates and charges are correctly implemented. Before joining TC2 Kim worked for Verizon Business in various customer-facing roles to many of Verizon's largest customers. Her main areas of focus included managing day to day network changes, implementation of new services and network migrations. She worked closely with her customers to ensure that all requests were delivered in a timely manner and delivered according to required technical specifications. By managing Verizon internal resources and customer expectations, she was able to successfully complete numerous large scale global network installations and migrations. Kim holds the ITIL v3 Foundations Certificate in IT Service Management and a Project Management Professional Certification.

Job Titles:

• Managing Director
• Managing Director at TC2
• Overview Education Podcasts

Larry York is a Managing Director at TC2 who specializes in transformational change at large enterprises in an era of major transition to all-IP-based networks. Larry's extensive background with carriers, enterprise users, and more than 17 years consulting with some of the world's most recognized brand-name multinational companies enables these organizations to recognize major, ongoing cost advantages and permanently positions them to procure services from multiple vendors in IT network communications. Larry's clients also gain access to global best practices for cost-reduction solutions with market-leading commercial arrangements. Based in Atlanta, Larry leverages core skills in benchmarking, rate reviews, and global procurements. He utilizes insider experience managing large negotiations at two of the three largest U.S. telecom suppliers to develop business case support required by account teams to obtain "leading edge" proposal support from supplier executive management. Larry then works with customers to maximize the ROI for customer negotiations, with particular attention to managing internal and external communications during projects. These results yield maximum results in everything from straight transport to the entire range of managed services and outsourcing deals, IP networking transitions, and full UC&C strategy and solution development. Among Larry's many specific achievements, he led strategy development and negotiations for an RFP worth $250 million, resulting in a major healthcare provider's managed equipment outsourcing agreement with a major carrier. Larry also successfully negotiated a global telecommunications contract for a name-brand consumer products company, providing for risk-free migration to another carrier and saving $30 million over the contract term. And he developed a strategy for a major retailer to exit a consortium and enter into a stand-alone agreement providing more contract flexibility and over $14 million in additional savings. Before coming to TC2, Larry held key managerial, deal liaison, and negotiating positions for Verizon and Sprint, and he was an audit officer for Wachovia Bank of Georgia and Price Waterhouse. Larry holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Arizona with a double major in accounting and finance.

Job Titles:

• Managing Director
• Managing Director of TC2 UK
• Overview Education Podcasts

Mark Sheard is Managing Director of TC2 UK. Based in London but working globally, he has a successful track record of delivering benefit for enterprise clients. With over 30 years' working experience in networking and information systems, Mark is intimately familiar with all the key elements of telecommunications and managed services strategy & acquisition. Mark leads the practice thinking in terms of SASE, SD-WAN, and cloud enterprise voice (including SIP trunking and Teams direct routing solutions), and has provided innovative approaches in terms of Internet First strategies to deliver significant cost reduction, capability enhancement and service improvement from networking transformations. He is also an expert in mobile services, and particularly EMEA-based multi-country deals. Often engaged for complex managed service or telecom transformations, Mark is able to distill out the key requirements and imperatives whether developing a strategic business case, optimized sourcing strategy, or executing on acquisition or implementation. Mark is recognized for his technical understanding, innovative thinking and ability to assess and improve commercial situations and develop solutions in clients' best interests. An exceptional negotiator, he extracts maximum benefit for the client through leveraging his strong technical and commercial insight, detailed commercial modeling and analysis, clarity in requirements development, and a constructive yet determined approach to finalizing a deal. The results are typically 6-, 7- or 8-figure annual savings and improved solutions and services. Aside from his commercial, operational and technical acumen, Mark is regularly called upon for implementation program advisory support and leadership - helping clients avoid pitfalls and successfully translate the contracted solutions into reality. Mark operates comfortably whether briefing CIOs and senior executives, or undertaking detailed analysis, drafting or planning. Previously, Mark led the inter-networking team within Deloitte Consulting specializing in strategic sourcing of telecommunications and IT services. Mark was a Board Director of a mobile services installation company, where he led all major deal negotiations and implementation projects. Leaving as a Wing Commander, Mark had a successful career in the Royal Air Force (RAF) including acting as the RAF's telecommunications authority and key member of the execution team during a period of major outsourcing initiatives. Mark has a Master of Science in Telecommunications and Information Systems, an MBA with Strategy Distinction, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Job Titles:

• Practice Director
• Overview Education Podcasts

Theresa Knutson is a Practice Director based in Des Moines, Iowa, with over 30 years of finance and ICT experience, and leads TC2's IT Cost Management practice. In her role leading TC2's IT Cost Management practice, Theresa leads a wide range of projects, including contract compliance, audit and optimization projects, competitive procurements for TEM services, and implementation of TEM solutions and reviews of enterprises' financial processes for telecommunications and IT-related spend. Theresa also provides TC2's clients with financial expertise over a broad range of areas including accounting, forecasting, accruals, and reporting, as well as coverage for companies that have vacancies in key positions or where incremental expertise is required to support, or to train, existing personnel. Theresa has a deep understanding of the critical tasks required to implement contracts once deals are completed and often works with clients post-transaction to ensure that the value of the deal is delivered on a timely basis. This post-transaction support includes audit services, optimization and cost savings reviews, and implementation of ICT reporting services, including improvements in telecom expense management, whether done internally or externally through a third-party provider. Her capability to "audit the auditor" is extremely valuable to enterprises that rely solely on a TEM provider to audit their telecom invoices. Theresa also specializes in the audit and verification of complex contractual credits and rebates to ensure that her clients receive the maximum value from these elements in the underlying supplier contracts, including advice on how to maximize credits to deliver the highest level of regulatory and tax savings. In all these services, Theresa's primary focus is to deliver immediate tactical savings while also positioning clients with a long-term competitive ICT strategy that continually delivers incremental savings. On all projects, she works closely with her clients to make sure they have the training and skills necessary to closely manage and monitor their telecom spend. Theresa's prior experience includes leadership positions in audit at KPMG Peat Marwick in Atlanta and as leader of Gateway Computer's global networking group where she was recognized as a hands-on leader with exceptional ability to identify and implement cost-saving measures across a wide span of transport, maintenance and outsourcing spend. Theresa holds a Bachelor of Accountancy degree from the University of North Dakota and is a CPA.