Catherine Piche has departed as the COO-International of Phoenix Tower International to become the Crown Castle EVP and COO-Towers, a position she previously held since 2021 before joining Phoenix eleven months ago. Her Crown Castle reappointment subjects her to a severance agreement restricting her from engaging in competing business activities for one year.
Crown Castle Inc. has announced the upcoming retirement of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer–Towers, Michael J. Kavanagh, effective October 28, 2024. Kavanagh, who has held various leadership roles during his 14-year tenure, will remain in an advisory capacity through the end of the year.
Catherine Piche will take over as EVP and COO–Towers. Piche, who previously served as COO–International of Phoenix Tower International, has extensive experience with Crown Castle, having previously served in the same role she has been appointed to.
Piche’s appointment includes a compensation package with a base salary of $550,000 and restricted stock units (RSUs) valued at $1.2 million. These RSUs will vest in two installments over the next two years, contingent upon her continued employment.
Piche will also be subject to a severance agreement that restricts her from engaging in competing business activities for one year following her departure from Crown Castle. The agreement covers activities related to the ownership or operation of communication towers or fiber optic networks within the U.S. or any country where Crown Castle operates.
Piche joined Crown Castle in 2011 and has served in a variety of leadership roles, including Senior Vice President of project Delivery, Design, and construction for Crown Castle’s Fiber business.
Previously, she served as Vice President–Project Delivery, and led multiple regions within Crown Castle’s Tower organization as Area President.
Before joining Crown Castle, Piche held various leadership positions at American Tower Corporation and served in numerous site development roles at Sprint Corporation and AT&T Wireless.
Piche holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University and a Masters in Science in Urban Planning and Architecture from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor.
Wireless Infrastructure Association Switcheroo
In May 2023, Piche was elected to the Wireless Infrastructure Association’s (WIA) Board of Directors when she was with Crown Castle. However, she fell off the board later in the year after being hired by Phoenix International because Phoenix CEO Dagan Kasavana was a director.
Since Crown Castle was no longer represented on the board and has always guided the association’s influence, Kavanagh, currently serving as WIA Vice Chair, will likely be replaced by Piche next month.