Honolulu (January 24, 2022) – As Hawaiian Telcom positions itself for continued growth and expansion of its statewide fiber network, the company announced the promotion of three company veterans: Ryan Miyamoto to Director – Product, Pricing & Bid Management; Jason Thune to Executive Director – Fiber Strategy & Deployment; and Filifotu Vaai to Executive Director – Consumer Product & Sales. Hawaiian Telcom also welcomed Chris Raker as Director – Sales and Ty Udell as Director – Channel Partners.
Miyamoto, a 22-year company veteran, leads a team that is responsible for the product strategy of Hawaiian Telcom's Business Network Services portfolios including data, broadband internet, hosted communications (VoIP), and voice. He previously served as Senior Manager – Advanced IP Networks. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems and Marketing from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Miyamoto resides in Kailua.
Also a 22-year company veteran, Thune’s responsibilities include the strategic direction and deployment of Hawaiian Telcom’s growing statewide fiber network as well as oversight of telecommunications plant construction and maintenance functions. Thune has held leadership roles in network operations, network planning and IT. He previously served as Director – Strategy & Innovation. A Honolulu resident, Thune earned a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – College of Business, and an MBA from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa - Shidler College of Business. He currently serves on the Hawai‘i Foodbank Alaka‘i board and volunteers as a mentor for Blue Startups.
Vaai, who previously served as Director – Product Strategy, leads Hawaiian Telcom’s consumer product strategy team and develops and manages sales strategies and goals. Before joining Hawaiian Telcom in 2017, she served as Country Manager for Bluesky Communications, American Samoa's leading Internet, wireless, and TV service provider. Prior to that, she served as Marketing Director for Bluesky Group. Born and raised in Samoa, Vaai earned a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration (Honors) in Information Systems from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, and received a graduate certificate in Telecommunications and Information Resource Management and a Master of Arts in Communications from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She is a member of the Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association and the Chamber of Commerce Hawai`i’s Young Professionals Program. Vaai resides in Ewa Beach.
Raker leads Hawaiian Telcom’s Direct Sales and Indirect Sales channels and is responsible for implementing new sales channels and strategies for the residential market. Prior to joining Hawaiian Telcom, he was with Charter Communications, most recently responsible for Spectrum’s residential sales channel in Hawai‘i. Raker, a Honolulu resident, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Business Management from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
As Director – Channel Partners, Udell procures new channel partners and maintains relationships with existing partners that resell Hawaiian Telcom’s services, including business voice, internet and cybersecurity products. Prior to joining Hawaiian Telcom, he was Senior Director of Product Sales for North America at CompuCom Systems, spearheading products for the U.S. and Canada. Udell also has extensive sales experience with Cisco Systems and Apple. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management. Udell resides in Pā‘ia on Maui.
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About Hawaiian Telcom
Hawaiian Telcom, established and headquartered in Honolulu since 1883, offers a full range of services to business and residential customers including Internet, video, voice, data network solutions and security, colocation, and managed and cloud services - all supported by the reach and reliability of its next generation fiber network and 24/7 state-of-the-art network operations center. With employees statewide sharing a commitment to innovation and a passion for delivering superior service, Hawaiian Telcom is proud to be Hawaiʻi’s Technology Leader. For more information, visit hawaiiantel.com.
Contact
Ann Nishida Fry
(808) 285-9289
Ann.nishida@hawaiiantel.com