Lumen elevates Ana White to Chief People & AI Officer role as part of wider leadership shakeup

Lumen Technologies has announced a leadership shakeup, including the appointment of Ana White as Chief People & AI Enablement Officer, as the company sharpens its focus on aligning talent strategy with its AI-driven transformation.

White’s expanded mandate goes beyond traditional HR, bringing together talent strategy, culture, and the company’s internal AI transformation. 

The role is designed to ensure workforce readiness and embed new ways of working as Lumen scales its AI capabilities.

Commenting on her appointment, White said: “AI is about turning possibility into practice, empowering our people with the skills, tools, and confidence to enhance decision making while keeping humans firmly in the loop. It also means scaling responsibly, with clear accountability and transparency, so our progress is fast and sound. I keep returning to what we’ve learned first-hand: culture determines whether transformation sticks or stalls; it remains at the center of our AI evolution.”

She added that she is “pleased to welcome General Kevin P. Chilton as our next Board Chair and Michael Collins as a new Board nominee,” while expressing confidence in the company’s future as it builds on the momentum created by its workforce.

The leadership elevation comes alongside a wider restructuring effort aimed at supporting Lumen’s next phase of growth.

On the governance front, Mike Glenn, Chair of the Board, and Hal Stanley Jones, Chair of the Audit Committee, will retire and not seek re-election at the company’s 2026 Annual Meeting. The Board has named Kevin P. Chilton, a current board member and former four-star U.S. Air Force General, as the next Chair, effective after the meeting.

The company has also nominated Michael Collins, a partner at Bain & Company, to join the Board, adding expertise in large-scale transformation and capital allocation.

CEO Kate Johnson framed the changes as a coordinated effort to strengthen execution as Lumen moves into a growth phase. “These leadership expansions position us to execute with speed, scale and clarity,” she said, pointing to the need for tighter alignment between strategy, operations, and workforce capability.

Beyond the people function, the company has expanded responsibilities across its leadership team. Chris Stansbury has taken on the additional role of President while continuing as Chief Financial Officer, broadening his remit to include enterprise growth and capital allocation. Meanwhile, Kye Prigg has been named Chief Commercial Operations Officer, consolidating enterprise and consumer operations under a single leadership structure.

The transition will be managed over the coming months, with Glenn and Chilton working closely to ensure continuity at the Board level.