Charter Communications said it has promoted long-time chief operating officer John Bickham to vice chairman, ahead of his previously announced retirement at the end of 2022, and said it will move chief financial officer Christopher Winfrey to COO, and EVP of finance Jessica Fischer to CFO. In addition, chief product and technology officer Rich DiGeronimo will add oversight of Charter’s Network Operations to his responsibilities. The changes are effective immediately, with each executive reporting to chairman and CEO Tom Rutledge. 

Other Charter executives — senior EVP David Ellen; EVP government affairs Catherine Bohigian, and EVP, general counsel and corporate secretary Rick Dykhouse — will also continue to report to Rutledge. 

Bickham, a 35-year veteran of the cable industry, joined Charter in 2012 from Cablevision Systems (now Altice USA) where he worked with Rutledge. Rutledge had been COO of Cablevision and was named Charter CEO in December 2011. The two had also been colleagues at Time Warner Cable. In February, Bickham said he planned to retire at the end of next year. 

“I have worked with John for three decades and at every turn, his knowledge, leadership and steady hand have not only contributed greatly to the success of the companies we led, but made a profound impact on the growth of our industry,” Rutledge said in a press release. “I am grateful that John will continue to serve Charter in this new capacity as a strategic advisor to me and the executive team, and his guidance will help ensure a successful transition for Chris into the COO role.”

Winfrey joined Charter as CFO in 2010 from German cable operator Unitymedia GmbH.  As COO he will oversee all of Charter's cable operations across its 41-state footprint, including field and customer operations, and retain management of marketing, sales, and Spectrum Enterprise. 

“Over the past 11 years Chris’ influence on Charter has expanded far beyond that of a typical CFO; he has been actively involved in our business operations and that deep knowledge, combined with his previous operational experience in Europe, will serve us well as Charter’s next chief operating officer,” Rutledge said in the press release. 

Fischer joined Charter in 2017 as a group vice president, and was promoted to EVP of finance in February.  As CFO, she adds oversight of Charter’s accounting, reporting and corporate budgeting and planning functions to her current responsibilities leading procurement, investor relations, internal audit, treasury, acquisitions and capital market activities and the tax and risk management functions. 

“Jessica’s leadership and financial expertise has benefited Charter for many years, both in her roles at Charter and while at EY where she was a key advisor during our 2016 transactions,” Rutledge said in the release. “In this role, Jessica will have an even greater impact on Charter’s success as we continue to seize the many opportunities before us.” 

DiGeronimo adds oversight for network and software operations to his current responsibilities as chief product and technology officer. He joined Charter in 2008 as vice president of product management and most recently added responsibility for Spectrum Reach, Charter’s advertising sales business, to his current position. Prior to Charter, DiGeronimo served as VP and general manager of the Cable Markets Group at Level 3 Communications. 

“With the expanded responsibility of Network Operations, Rich will both shape the customer experience and lead our network's critical evolution into the 10G future, delivering to our customers a superior broadband connectivity experience,” Rutledge said in the press release.  

Charter Communications said late Wednesday that long-time president and chief operating officer John Bickham will retire at the end of 2022. In addition, the company said chief product and technology officer Rich DiGeronimo and chief financial officer Christopher Winfrey will expand their duties.

Bickham is a 35-year veteran of the cable industry, joining Charter in 2012 from Cablevision Systems (now Altice USA) where he worked with current Charter chairman and CEO Tom Rutledge. Rutledge had been CEO of Cablevision and was named Charter CEO in December 2011. The two had also been colleagues at Time Warner Cable.

“It has been a privilege to work alongside John for nearly 30 of his 35 years in the cable industry,” Rutledge said in a press release. “He is widely regarded as one of the best operators in cable and has been instrumental in the successful integration of our three companies, and subsequent trajectory as the fastest growing cable company in the nation. I am grateful that he will remain as President & COO to provide continued leadership and support throughout this transition.”

Bickham will continue to oversee the field operations, customer operations, network operations, and financial planning and analysis (FP&A) and business planning teams, led by EVP field operations Tom Adams; EVP customer operations Cliff Hagan; EVP network operations Magesh Srinivasan; and EVP FP&A and business planning Jim Nuzzo.

Charter said that effective immediately, DiGeronimo will add oversight of Charter’s ad sales business -- Spectrum Reach –  headed by EVP David Kline – to his current responsibilities of leading the company’s product and technology unit. DiGeronimo will report directly to Rutledge.

Winfrey will assume operational leadership for sales and marketing, and Spectrum Community Solutions overseen by EVP and chief marketing officer Jon Hargis and EVP of Spectrum Community Solutions Adam Ray. Winfrey will report to Bickham on operations and to Rutledge as CFO. He also will retain responsibility for Spectrum Enterprise led by EVP Bill Archer.

“We have developed a sound operating strategy and an outstanding leadership team at Charter,” Rutledge said. “Chris’s influence on our operations has expanded beyond traditional finance areas, and I look forward to seeing the impact of his leadership more formally within our cable operations. Under Rich’s guidance, the technology team has shaped the customer experience through our leading products and services, and it is that innovation and collaborative spirit that will benefit Spectrum Reach as it helps businesses reach their audiences in new ways.”

David Ellen, senior EVP; Catherine Bohigian, EVP, government affairs; and Rick Dykhouse, EVP, general counsel and corporate secretary, will continue to report to Rutledge.

Charter Communications has promoted Rich DiGeronimo to the post of executive vice president, product and strategy, and a role in which he will continue to report to John Bickham, Charter's chief operating officer.

DiGeronimo has been serving as Charter’s SVP, product and strategy since 2011, and has been overseeing the development and deployment of several new Charter offerings, including the Charter TV app, the Spectrum Guide, and the recently announced Worldbox, a new class of hybrid QAM/IP devices CES that will support the operator's new cloud-based UI and Charter’s downloadable conditional access system.

He has also played a big role in coordinating “many internal initiatives,” including Charter’s recently completed all-digital transition, the MSO noted.

"Rich and his team have been an important part of the transformation of Charter over the past several years," Bickham said, in a statement. Rich's leadership in the development of products and services ranging from the Charter TV App to the Spectrum Guide are at the heart of our strategy moving forward and will help Charter continue to be the leading provider of cable services in our markets." 

For more about Charter’s tech transformation, please see this story (subscription required) and interview with DiGeronimo from last fall, when Charter was named MSO of the year by Multichannel News.

Prior to joining Charter in 2008, DiGeronimo was VP and GM of cable markets at Level 3 Communications, and is also late of Bear Stearns, where he worked in investment banking focused on technology firms.