Ribbon Communications Appoints Miguel 'Mick' Lopez as Chief Financial Officer

WESTFORD, Massachusetts, June 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ribbon Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: RBBN), a global provider of real time communications software and network solutions to service providers, enterprises, and critical infrastructure sectors, today announced the appointment of Mick Lopez as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial officer effective Monday June 29, 2020. Lopez succeeds Daryl E. Raiford, who will be leaving the company after a short transition period.

"I am very excited to welcome Mick to the Ribbon leadership team as we continue to execute on our strategy to strengthen our portfolio and increase our presence with our global service provider and enterprise customers," said Bruce McClelland, Ribbon Communications Chief Executive Officer. "Mick has a strong track record as CFO of both public and privately held companies, successfully leading finance and operations organizations through significant transformations. His experience and leadership will be a great asset for the team as we continue our focus on improving long-term shareholder returns."

Mr. Lopez most recently served as the CFO of Vista Outdoor Inc. (NYSE: VSTO), a leading global designer and manufacturer of outdoor sports and recreation consumer products. He was instrumental in driving cost out of the business, executing on strategic portfolio divestitures, and reducing financial leverage with a low-cost scalable capital structure. Prior to joining Vista Outdoor, he served as the CFO at Veritas Technologies where he drove profitability improvements through portfolio and operational improvements. Prior to joining Veritas Technologies, he was the CFO for Harris Corporation where he played an integral role in reshaping the corporate strategy, which resulted in the $3 billion acquisition of Exelis Inc. From 2011 to 2014, he was the CFO for Aricent Group/KKR Private Equity, where he drove initiatives focused on improving profitability, leverage position and global tax structure. Earlier in his career, he gained valuable experience as Vice President, Finance at Cisco Systems and Tyco International, as well as international assignments with IBM and KPMG.

"I am thrilled to be joining Ribbon during this exciting period," said Mr. Lopez. "This is a pivotal time for the company, and the recent acquisition of ECI and the new leadership and energy Bruce is providing creates a clear path to growth. I am excited to be a part of these efforts and look forward to supporting the strategy."

Mr. McClelland added, "I'd like to thank Daryl for his many years of service and leadership at Ribbon and previously GENBAND. He was instrumental in driving the corporate and financial strategy of the company through a series of merger and acquisition transactions including Nortel, Sonus Networks, Edgewater and, most recently, with ECI Telecom, all while successfully integrating the complex financial operations of each.  We wish him well in his future endeavors."

"I've had a very rewarding experience at Ribbon, and I am immensely proud of our accomplishments over these 10 years. It has been an honor to work with such a talented team," said Mr. Raiford. "Ribbon is extremely well positioned, and I leave the company operationally and financially strong with a great trajectory for its future."

About Ribbon
Ribbon Communications (Nasdaq: RBBN), which recently merged with ECI Telecom Group, delivers global communications software and network solutions to service providers, enterprises, and critical infrastructure sectors. We engage deeply with our customers, helping them modernize their networks for improved competitive positioning and business outcomes in today's smart, always-on and data-hungry world. Our innovative, end-to-end solutions portfolio delivers unparalleled scale, performance, and agility, and includes packet and optical networking, core to edge IP solutions, UCaaS/ CPaaS cloud offers, and leading-edge software security and analytics tools. To learn more about Ribbon visit rbbn.com.  To learn more about Ribbon visit rbbn.com.  For more information about our Elastic Network technology packet-optical portfolio visit ecitele.com.

Important Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements  
The information in this release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this release are forward-looking statements. The actual results of Ribbon Communications may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. For further information regarding risks and uncertainties associated with Ribbon Communications' business, please refer to the "Risk Factors" section of Ribbon Communications' most recent annual or quarterly report filed with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements represent Ribbon Communications' views only as of the date on which such statement is made and should not be relied upon as representing Ribbon Communications' views as of any subsequent date. While Ribbon Communications may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point, Ribbon Communications specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.

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