Company: AT&T Inc., Dallas, TX
Company Description: AT&T Inc. is a premier communications holding company. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s largest 4G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. AT&T is also a leader in mobile Internet and offers advanced TV services.
Nomination Category: Management Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Tech Innovator of the Year

Nomination Title: John Donovan, Senior Executive Vice President of AT&T Technology and Network Operations

Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since January 1 2012 (up to 525 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

John Donovan, senior executive vice president of AT&T Technology and Network Operations, continues to drive AT&T’s velocity of innovation by focusing on openness and collaboration. In January 2012, Donovan launched the AT&T Application Programming Interface (API) Platform in collaboration with Apigee, a Palo Alto-based software developer. The AT&T API Platform provides internal and external developers with access to AT&T’s network, unleashing its power to create unique experiences for customers and advance the possibilities of technology. By exposing network intelligence via APIs, AT&T enables innovators to build new apps and services with enhanced functionality and value more quickly than ever before.

With 13 externally exposed APIs, the AT&T API Platform has helped to nearly triple the number of innovators registered for AT&T’s Developer Program. Additionally, the AT&T API Platform has contributed to the company’s generation of more than 5 billion API calls per month, which is unparalleled among telecom carriers. In fact, according to ProgrammableWeb, AT&T is in the top 20 of all companies for the number of APIs delivered — and the only carrier.

To further AT&T’s efforts to bring consumers exciting mobile apps with enhanced features, Donovan is supporting closer operator-developer relationships and greater cross-carrier interoperability through AT&T’s participation in GSMA’s OneAPI Exchange. Additionally, AT&T launched its Alpha API program at the beginning of 2012, which brings innovative APIs to market faster through increased collaboration and openness with the developer community. The Alpha API Program allows developers to provide input on APIs they would like created that contain key features and functionality needed to best differentiate their apps.

Tapping into the creativity and collective power of internal and external developers is just one of the ways in which Donovan is helping AT&T to drive innovation forward. For example, upon joining AT&T nearly five years ago, Donovan assembled a secret team of 16 to enhance and accelerate the company’s ability to innovate, which led to AT&T’s current innovation ecosystem.

AT&T innovation continues to evolve and expand as Donovan focuses on the principles of collaboration, interoperability and openness to deliver new personal experiences that simplify and enrich the lives of consumers. Through Donovan’s work, AT&T has met with more than 1,000 entrepreneurs and developers on potential collaborations, deployed more than 100 active projects via the AT&T Foundry, generated more than 23,000 ideas from employees through The Innovation Pipeline and more.

Donovan is also leading the charge to drive AT&T’s network forward through innovation and investment in order to meet the surging demand for the mobile Internet. This is key as data demand on the AT&T network is skyrocketing and has already increased by 30,000 percent over the last six years (2007-2012).

To help meet this demand, AT&T has invested heavily in strengthening the network and driving service improvements, laying out a forward-thinking plan called Project Velocity IP, or Project VIP. The aim of Project VIP is to build the best intelligent global network in the world by investing $14 billion over the next three years. The goal is to significantly expand and enhance the wireless and wireline network, focusing on the deployment of thousands of small cells, distributed antenna systems (DAS) and cell towers.

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Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the nominee:

John Donovan, Senior Executive Vice President — AT&T Technology and Network Operations, is responsible for the operations of AT&T's technology and global network, including the company's mobile broadband network.

Previously, Donovan was Chief Technology Officer for AT&T where he oversaw the company's global technology direction and innovation road map, including product development, network and engineering operations, AT&T Labs and the security and intellectual property organizations. Under Donovan's leadership, AT&T has turbo-charged its innovation programs and now is recognized as an industry leader in working with application developers and others to make AT&T's network open to collaboration and innovation.