KINGSTON, Jamaica — Cable & Wireless Communications (C&W) today announced that Inge Smidts has been appointed to replace John Reid as Chief Executive Officer.

Reid announced earlier this month that he will step down from the position in early 2018.

According to a release from C&W, Smidts joins C&W from Liberty Global where she most recently held the position of Chief Marketing Officer.

Prior to her role at Liberty Global, Smidts was Senior Vice President, Residential Marketing and a member of the executive team at Telenet Group where she was responsible for go-to-market reporting and overseeing the commercial strategy for Telenet’s business.

Smidts has significant brand and marketing experience having spent over ten years earlier in her career at Procter & Gamble, where she started as Assistant Brand Manager and was regularly promoted, ultimately to Business Leader for the Benelux Paper business, said C&W.

Smidts holds a Master of Economics degree from UFSIA in Antwerp and an MBA in Marketing from the IAE in Aix-en-Provence.

Balan Nair, incoming President & CEO of Liberty Latin America said, “Inge is a proven executive that has delivered strong results throughout her career. We are excited that she has agreed to lead C&W and join the Liberty Latin America team next year once the split from Liberty Global is complete.”

Reid, C&W’s current CEO, will help ensure a seamless leadership transition until Smidts’ tenure begins in February 2018, added the company.