Technology >> CEO Interviews >> September 3, 2003
JOHN F. DEPODESTA is a co-Founder of PRIMUS Telecommunications Group,
Incorporated and currently serves as a member of its Board of Directors
and as Executive Vice President. Over the last two years, he has
spearheaded PRIMUS's efforts to reduce its debt from $1.3 billion to the
current level of $542 million through a combination of open market
purchases, equity for debt exchanges and negotiated settlements. His
involvement in the telecommunications industry began with his
participation in the development of recommendations advocating the
divestiture of AT&T. He has been instrumental in organizing the
formation and capitalization of, and assisting in obtaining regulatory
authority for, several telecommunications entities over the past 15
years, including PRIMUS, Cygnus Satellite Corporation and Overseas
Telecommunications, Inc. He has had significant involvement in
restructuring, deregulation and privatization of regulated entities in
the United States and abroad. As General Counsel, he was responsible for
developing the reorganization strategies for Penn Central Transportation
Company, then the largest corporate restructuring in US history. Later,
as General Counsel for Consolidated Rail Corporation, Mr. DePodesta was
actively engaged in efforts that resulted in deregulation of the rail
industry. Thereafter, while in private law practice, he developed the
framework for Conrail's privatization, which resulted in the then
largest IPO in US history. He has also advised the World Bank and
governments on railroad privatization in Mexico and Poland. He holds a
BA from Harvard College (1966) and a JD from the University of
Pennsylvania Law School. Profile
Mr. DePodesta: Paul Singh and I co-founded Primus in 1994 to exploit
opportunities created by telecom deregulation in major
