Liberty Latin America (LLA) has chosen Bala Balakrishnan to be the new country manager for its U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) operations. Balakrishnan’s appointment marks the first time that the USVI has a dedicated country manager to oversee the company’s mobile and fixed telecommunication assets in that market.
In this role, Balakrishnan is responsible for commercial strategy and the market’s financial performance. He also has oversight of customer value propositions and leads Liberty VI’s go-to-market efforts on the ground. Balakrishnan reports directly to Naji Khoury, president and CEO of Liberty VI, and will be based on St. Thomas, USVI.
“We appointed Bala Balakrishnan as our new country manager for the USVI to be able to carry out our plans on the ground with the care and attention the market deserves,” Khoury said. “Creating this regional office and having a senior level executive on the ground is an important step in our relationship with our USVI market and our commitment to take it to the next level.”
Prior to his current position, Balakrishnan served as Liberty Latin America’s vice president and chief digital officer. In that role, he led the company’s digital transformation strategy, which comprises digital sales and care channels, digital marketing capabilities and driving operational transformation. He played a key role in enhancing the company’s digital performance, bringing best-in-class solutions to the business and delivering a much more seamless experience to the company’s customers. Previously, he served as chief data and analytics officer at Liberty Global, and as a senior partner at Ernst &Young, where he focused on business transformation and customer experience.
Balakrishnan, who has already relocated to the USVI with his family, is ready to dive into his new role, starting with the integration of Broadband VI’s newly acquired assets. The transaction received regulatory approval and closed on Dec. 31, 2021.
“I am excited to lead this dynamic market and work with the amazing Liberty Mobile team based here in the USVI. Their expertise and enthusiasm are key factors in our success in this market,” Balakrishnan said. “Now that the transaction has closed, we can focus on integrating Broadband VI’s assets into our operations and welcoming our new colleagues into our company. We are excited about this because we believe the combination of Liberty with BBVI will enhance the USVI’s position as a technology hub in the Caribbean, drive economic growth, expand tourism, and create jobs in the territory.”
Balakrishnan stated that Liberty and Broadband VI’s combination will result in the union of the best existing mobile network with the best future fixed network, which will add more resiliency and redundancy to the USVI’s hurricane-prone markets. To achieve this, Liberty will build out an ultrafast fiber optic network that is also resilient and resistant to natural disasters. Plans include the underground deployment of a significant portion of the network within six years, identification of opportunities to strengthen the network’s resilience and reliability, plus competitive offers for residential and business customers in the territory.
Balakrishnan emphasized that Liberty and Broadband VI will work together along the way to ensure a smooth transition for employees and customers. He added that Liberty will maintain Broadband VI’s labor force throughout the USVI. In addition, billing procedures and rates remain the same for the time being, until the operations become integrated and new attractive offers can be created. Customers should also continue to use the same contact information to receive customer service.
Liberty VI is a subsidiary of Liberty Latin America with headquarters in Denver, Colorado, and is a leading communications company operating in over 20 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean with renowned brands such as Cable &Wireless, Flow and BTC, among others.
For more information, visit https://www.libertyvi.com
