The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) yesterday confirmed Tribune Business's Monday revelation that André Foster has been named chief executive with effect from March 1, 2021.

The carrier, in a statement, described Mr Foster as one of the youngest Bahamian chief executives in the BTC's history as he moves up from being its head of operations for the past nine months. He previously served with BTC's immediate parent, Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), where he held the post of vice-president of enterprise IT services and infrastructure.

Mr Foster was then brought in to BTC and held the role of chief operating officer from 2017 to 2018. Then, from 2018 to 2019, he took a regional role as senior director of technology operations overseeing The Bahamas, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.

Prior to the merger of CWC and Columbus Communications, Mr Foster was the latter's chief information officer. Columbus Communications operated a portfolio of telecom businesses in the Caribbean and Latin America, including - at the time - Cable Bahamas.

Mr Foster designed and deployed The Bahamas' first consumer broadband and commercial Metro Ethernet network while serving as Cable Bahamas' senior vice-president of information technology (IT).

Garfield 'Garry' Sinclair, BTC's outgoing chief executive, said: “I am confident in André’s ability to lead BTC at such a critical time in its history. André has held several leadership roles, and has a tenure amassing more than 20 years within the telecommunications industry.

"He will be focused on delivering some key wins for our residential and business customers as BTC continues to improve the customer experience journey. We’ve had the opportunity to discuss this transition with our team members and our union partners, who are onboard and fully committed to the company’s success.”

Mr Foster added: “I am honoured to be entrusted with the leadership of BTC. BTC is the premier telecommunications provider of The Bahamas, and has connected Bahamians across our beautiful archipelago for over 100 years.

"I am humbled by this opportunity, particularly at such a crucial time where world events continue to highlight the criticality of communications and the transformation of this great company in our country. In recent years, we have set the stage to deliver impactful transformations for The Bahamas by embracing a more digital world.

"We will continue to serve our customers wherever they are through virtual stores with an on-demand concierge delivery, self-installation of our broadband customers and increased options for ease of bill payments. For BTC and our parent, Liberty Latin America, 2021 is the ‘Year of the Customer’, and I am focused on how we can continue to have a meaningful impact for our country and our customers."

Mr Foster continued: "As a business, our team is fully committed to embracing the digital transition and supporting our customers through the transformation. This includes the retirement of legacy technologies for all of our customers in The Bahamas, which will be one of our most important missions in the coming decade.

"Whether our customer is in a densely-populated community such as Carmichael Road, or a sparsely-populated community like Farmer’s Cay, Exuma, we will continue to modernise and transform their services towards a better-connected future that will enrich their lives. Frankly, embracing and crossing the digital divide is no longer optional in today’s world.

"Pandemics and natural disasters have taught us valuable lessons about the role technology and telecommunications will play in every person’s daily life and livelihood in the future. BTC will always make every effort to be the first to build the technology bridge for the people of The Bahamas, and we will deliver this with customers at the heart of everything we do.”

Mr Foster is a graduate of Florida State University and holds a bachelor of science degree in information studies. He has held a number of industry certifications with Microsoft, Cisco, Juniper and Extreme Networks throughout his career.