Hawaiian Telcom supports expansion of statewide fiber network with promotions and new hires

To support growth and the expansion of its statewide fiber network, Hawaiian Telcom has promoted three company veterans: Ryan Miyamoto to Director of Product, Pricing & Bid Management; Jason Thune to Executive Director of Fiber Strategy & Deployment; and Filifotu Vaai to Executive Director of Consumer Product & Sales. 

Hawaiian Telcom also hired Chris Raker as Director of Sales and Ty Udell as Director of Channel Partners.

Promotions:

• Ryan Miyamoto: The 22-year Hawaiian Telcom veteran is leading a team responsible for the product strategy of the company’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.

• Jason Thune: He also is a 22-year Hawaiian Telcom veteran with his new responsibilities including the strategic direction and deployment of the company’s growing statewide fiber network and 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 of 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.

• Filifotu Vaai: She previously served as Director of Product Strategy and now leads Hawaiian Telcom’s consumer product strategy team that develops and manages sales strategies and goals. Before joining the company in 2017, she served as Country Manager for Bluesky Communications, American Samoa’s leading Internet, wireless and TV service provider. She also 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 Hawaiʻi’s Young Professionals Program. Vaai resides in Ewa Beach.

New hires:

• Chris Raker: He 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.

• Ty Udell: As Director of Channel Partners,he 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 United States 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.