<<< Return

Monday, September 22, 2003
Aliant appoints Paul Kent as Chief Operating Officer of xwave and Senior Vice President of Aliant

HALIFAX, NS - Jay Forbes, President and CEO of Aliant Inc. (TSX:AIT) announced today the appointment of Paul Kent as Senior Vice President of Aliant and Chief Operating Officer of xwave. The appointment is effective October 6, 2003.

Following Aliant’s decision in June to retain and restructure xwave, an extensive search was undertaken to find the appropriate candidate for the COO position. “We’re very pleased that Paul Kent has decided to join our leadership team,” said Mr. Forbes. “Paul has extensive experience — at both executive and senior-management levels—in the strategy and development of profitable technology-based business solutions. His knowledge of the industry and the markets in which xwave operates will provide the company with strong leadership that complements that of Aliant—helping both firms move forward jointly and profitably.”

As xwave’s COO, Mr. Kent will be responsible for all xwave operations. He will work to take the business to new levels of client service, operational effectiveness and sustained profitability. As a senior Aliant executive, he will also ensure the company’s business strategies are aligned with those of Aliant.

Before taking on his new position, Mr. Kent was Senior Vice President and Managing Director for the Strategic Consulting Unit of Fujitsu Consulting (Canada). Prior to that role, he held increasingly prominent positions during his ten years at Fujitsu: Vice President and Managing Director; Vice President, New England and Atlantic Canada; and Senior Vice-President, Atlantic Canada. He has also held IT roles in several government organizations. He possesses significant IT-industry expertise in business development and growth, performance, and strategic planning.

“I’m looking forward to leading the revitalization of xwave,” said Mr. Kent. “As the company’s business evolves—and reaches improved levels of operational effectiveness and profitability—we can look forward to achieving higher service goals and, ultimately, realizing the tremendous potential this company offers.”

Mr. Kent, a long term resident of Nova Scotia, is a Board member of Nova Scotia Business Inc., as well as Chair of NovaKnowledge, a member-based organization that furthers the development of a sustainable knowledge economy in the province. He is also President of Symphony Nova Scotia, and he sits on the Board of Governors for Junior Achievement.

About Aliant
From its home base in Atlantic Canada, Aliant delivers a wide variety of innovative and traditional communications services, including local and long-distance telephony, wireless, Internet, e-commerce, interactive multimedia, data and managed network services, to more than two million consumers and over 80,000 enterprises. Aliant complements its industry-leading telecommunications business with strengths in advanced systems and technology solutions, mobile and remote communications, and knowledge-services applications. The company's more than 9,100 employees build on Aliant's 100-plus year history by collaborating to deliver the highest quality of customer service, choice and convenience. Aliant is a TSX 100 company with a market capitalization of more than $4 billion. More information about Aliant (TSX:AIT) may be found by visiting www.aliant.ca.

About xwave
xwave, an Aliant company, delivers complete IT services to clients through three service lines: systems integration and software engineering; infrastructure services; and product fulfillment.
These areas offer clients a broad delivery capability: xwave plans, designs, builds and operates IT solutions that span both corporate and operational systems and fulfill all infrastructure needs.
With approximately $400 million in revenues and 2,300 people, xwave is one of the largest IT services companies in Canada, with offices in St. John’s, Halifax, Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, New England and Ireland. More information can be found at www.xwave.com.

For further information:

Kelly Gallant
Aliant Communications and Public Affairs
(866) 762-6540
Kelly.Gallant@aliant.ca

Karen Ewing
(877) 332-4605
Karen.Ewing@xwave.com

<<< Return