Rod Millar

Chief Executive Officer

Rod Millar is the Chief Executive Officer of Brightstar Corp., a subsidiary of SoftBank Group and a global leader of end-to-end solutions in mobile device lifecycle management. His broad career in the wireless industry spans over 20 years having served executive positions with Brightstar, Sprint, Tech Data and other prominent global telecommunications brands.

Rod started his career in the wireless industry with 20:20 Mobile, a leading European distributor of mobile phones where he served as Managing Director from 2000-2006.  During that time, he successfully transformed the business from a pure hardware distributor to a value-added service provider, doubling profits and growing revenue substantially.

In 2007, Rod was appointed the first President of Brightstar Europe. In this role, he was quick to develop customer relationships and establish Brightstar businesses in 18 European countries, leading Brightstar to surpass US$3 billion in revenue in only a few years.

In 2012, Rod joined Tech Data as SVP of Worldwide Mobility Solutions where he grew the European business and led a turnaround for the Americas business. Rod was then asked to join Sprint as SVP of Product, Supply Chain, Insurance and Leasing and successfully revamped the carrier’s supply chain, streamlined operations and renegotiated all commercial relationships to enable sustainable growth.

In 2019, Rod was handpicked by Marcelo Claure, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of Softbank Group Corp, to serve as the new Chief Executive Officer and board member of Brightstar Corp and will lead the company in the next phase of its journey with the same innovative and customer-centric passion that rendered unrivaled results in his previous ventures.

Catherine Smith

EVP, Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel & Secretary

Catherine Smith is EVP, Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel & Secretary for Brightstar. She also sits on the Board of Directors. Catherine is responsible for leading the global legal operations for the world’s leading mobile services company. In addition, she manages Brightstar’s global real estate and indirect procurement as well as the HR organization. Moreover, Catherine supports Brightstar’s CEO on strategy execution and implementation.

Catherine was named in Fierce Wireless’ 2015 Most Influential Women in Wireless List, which noted her as one of the most prominent African-American women in the telecommunications industry. A passionate advocate of the benefits of diversity and inclusion, Catherine stays active in her local community by regularly speaking on these subjects. In 2017, she was profiled in Leaders Magazine’s feature on women leaders. Most recently, under her leadership, Brightstar was recognized as a World’s Most Ethical Company, and it received the National Association of Women Lawyers 2018 Challenge Award for adopting, hiring, retaining, promoting general employment practices designed to increase representation of women to one-third of leadership positions.

Catherine has over 20 years of legal experience. Excelling at sound corporate governance, she champions the benefits of diversity within the company and ensures both long-term organizational health and overall business success.

Prior to Brightstar, Catherine served as Vice President and Lead Counsel for Motorola, Inc. and Motorola Mobility. In these positions, she used her expertise to contribute to the separation of Motorola, Inc. into two independent, publicly traded companies. She also served as the President and Executive Sponsor for the Global Inclusion and Diversity Council.

Catherine holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Virginia and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.

Joe Kalinoski

Chief Financial Officer

Joe Kalinoski is the Chief Financial Officer for Brightstar. Prior to his appointment in this role in 2019, Joe served as SVP of Finance for Brightstar US & Canada, a role he held since 2013.

Coming to Brightstar in 2012, Joe began his tenure as VP of Finance. He immediately established the reporting and controls in place today, resulting in Brightstar US growing its profits by more than 40% each year over two subsequent years.

Joe’s career in strategic finance spans more than two decades. Prior to Brightstar, he was VP of Finance for Staples Technology Solutions, a division of Staples Inc. He has also held VP and CFO positions with ConAgra Foods, Kraft Foodservice Inc., Kraft Foods, and Budget Rent-A-Car.  Before moving into executive roles within major corporations, Joe was an options trader on the Philadelphia Stock Exchange.

Joe holds a BS in Business Administration from Bloomsburg State College and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.

Ray Roman

Chief Commercial Officer & Global President, Device Protection

Ray has more than 25 years of operational and managerial experience, including significant experience in wireless telecommunications and technology. Ray was executive vice president and chief operating officer for Leap Wireless International, Inc. / Cricket Communications, Inc. He was responsible for overseeing the company’s marketing, network operations, customer care and retention, and supply chain management initiatives.

Prior to his role at Cricket, Ray served in senior executive positions at Dell Inc., first as vice president of global service and operations, software and peripherals for the consumer division and then as vice president of sales, operations and service for the mobility division. Additionally, Ray served in various senior sales and operating roles at Motorola; including running global sales and operations where he helped the business grow from $13B to $23B over 7 years. He also served in various sales, general management and finance roles at companies like Ameritech Corporation, Kraft Foods and Allstate Insurance.

Ray received a B.S. in finance from the University of Illinois-Chicago and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Ray is active in the community as a wish-grantor for Make-a-Wish-Illinois and has served as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at University of Illinois-Chicago since 2002. Ray also spent time helping organizations like the Garfield Boys and Girls Club in his hometown and the Le Flambeau Foundation which is building a sustainable Haiti via education.

Pablo Suarez

President, Latin America

Pablo Suarez is the President, Latin America for Brightstar Corp, where he is responsible for developing and executing go-to-market strategies to penetrate major industry verticals and build dominant market share across the Americas.

Previously, Pablo was Brightstar’s Senior Vice President of LATAM Services, Key Regional Operator Accounts and Service Transformation from 2012 to 2014. In this role, he oversaw the integration of the distribution and services business units.

Pablo has more than 20 years of experience in the wireless industry, and he has an exceptional record of value-added success in developing and implementing strategies for M&A and portfolio development and management. He has also successfully developed marketing and sales strategies for global markets. Prior to joining Brightstar in April 2012, Pablo was the Vice President and General Manager of Avnet Americas.

Pablo holds bachelor’s degrees in agricultural science, administration and financial planning for agro-business as well as economics & agro-business applications. He earned his post-graduate degree in Business Management & Executive Management from Universidad Austral in Buenos Aires.

Rafael De Guzman

SVP, Strategic Initiatives

Rafael M. de Guzman, III, serves as SVP, Strategic Initiatives, where he supports the CEO and other senior executives defining and implementing the overall strategy.

Prior to joining the Office of the Chief Executive Officer, Rafael served as Chief of Staff and on the High Growth Markets business development team working collaboratively to evaluate, define, and implement new subsidiaries and initiatives for Brightstar in developing countries around the world.

Prior to Brightstar, Rafael spent almost 10 years working at brand and communications firms. In New York, he served as the Business Development Manager for Desgrippes Gobe, and as Associate Program Director at Enterprise IG, where he worked on strategic branding projects for companies like Ford, Westvaco, Holcim, Metavante, and others.

Rafael holds a J.D. from the University of Miami and a bachelor’s degree in history from Princeton University.