Robert Ward is Senior Vice President of Global Network Engineering at Lumen Technologies, where he leads the architecture, design, and certification of backbone technologies across optical, Ethernet, IP, and security to power the Lumen Connectivity Fabric portfolio. He is responsible for shaping Lumen’s global network strategy and driving innovation from concept to operational reality, ensuring the company delivers the scale, performance, and agility customers need to compete in a digital-first world.
A veteran network engineering leader, Rob has been instrumental in building one of the world’s largest internet backbones, launching Network-as-a-Service capabilities, and scaling an industry-leading fiber and optical platform. He oversees the development of Lumen’s Wavelength network, public internet backbone, and private WAN solutions — including Ethernet, VPN, SD-WAN, and SASE — and is passionate about creating customer-first, cloud-like network experiences that solve real-world business challenges and fuel digital transformation.