OREANDA-NEWS. Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) today announced effective immediately, Jeff K. Storey, Level 3's CEO, will take a temporary medical leave of absence relating to successful surgery for a recently diagnosed heart condition. Mr. Storey's leave of absence will be approximately two months, after which he will return to duty on a limited basis. He is expected to make a full recovery.

The Level 3 Board of Directors has named Sunit S. Patel, Level 3's chief financial officer, interim CEO until Mr. Storey's return. Mr. Patel will continue to serve as Level 3's chief financial officer. Mr. Patel has been Level 3's chief financial officer since 2003, and served as interim president of Level 3's EMEA region in 2014.

"I have full confidence that Sunit will be able to continue the solid execution and performance that we saw in 2015," said Mr. Storey. "Sunit's knowledge of our business, along with his financial background and expertise, make him an excellent candidate to fill in for me during my absence. We also have an extremely strong and deep executive team working to support him."

"The Board of Directors unanimously supports Sunit's appointment as interim CEO. We intend to respect Jeff's privacy so that he can focus on a complete and speedy recovery, and we look forward to his expected return to the company. We wish him all the best as he recovers," said James O. Ellis, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Directors for Level 3.

"I am pleased to say that Mr. Storey's procedure went well," said Myles S. Guber, M.D. with Colorado Cardiovascular Surgical Associates. "While a significant operation, it is a common procedure and I expect Mr. Storey to make a full recovery."

About Level 3 Communications

Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) is a Fortune 500 company that provides local, national and global communications services to enterprise, government and carrier customers. Level 3's comprehensive portfolio of secure, managed solutions includes fiber and infrastructure solutions; IP-based voice and data communications; wide-area Ethernet services; video and content distribution; data center and cloud-based solutions. Level 3 serves customers in more than 500 markets in over 60 countries across a global services platform anchored by owned fiber networks on three continents and connected by extensive undersea facilities. 

© Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Level 3, Level 3 Communications, Level (3) and the Level 3 Logo are either registered service marks or service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC and/or one of its Affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. Any other service names, product names, company names or logos included herein are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Level 3 services are provided by subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc. 

 

Level 3 Communications. (PRNewsFoto/Level 3 Communications)