Swenson named CEO of Novatel Wireless, will continue as FirstNet chairwoman

Novatel Wireless—an Internet of Things (IoT) solutions provider and the inventor of MiFi mobile-hotspot technology—announced that Sue Swenson is the company’s new CEO and will continue to chair its board of directors. Swenson plans to continue as chairwoman of FirstNet, the federal entity established to deploy and maintain the first nationwide broadband network for first responders.

“Working closely with management over the past three years to dramatically reposition Novatel Wireless as a leading player in IoT has been a challenging but very fruitful experience,” Swenson said in a prepared statement. “I am thrilled for the opportunity to become the company's operational leader and, as CEO, to focus all of my time and energy on furthering our evolution from hardware-only sales to end-to-end IoT solutions and recurring SaaS (software as a service) revenues.”

Despite the time commitment associated with being the Novatel Wireless CEO, Swenson “plans to continue in her capacity as the chair of FirstNet,” according to a FirstNet spokesman.

Swenson also serves as a member of several other boards, including the boards for Harmonic, Spirent Plc and Wells Fargo, according to the Novatel Wireless press release.

As Novatel Wireless CEO, Swenson will replace Mashinsky, who was named as the company’s interim CEO on June 13, 2014—two months after joining the company’s board of directors—before being appointed as permanent CEO on Nov. 6, 2014. Mashinsky’s “employment with the company was terminated” on Tuesday, and he will be required to resign from the Novatel Wireless board of directors, according to a company press release.

Swenson previously has served as CEO at two companies—wireless provider Cellular One and software firm Sage, according to the Novatel Wireless press release.

“I am very excited for the opportunity to guide Novatel Wireless as we emerge from a period of transition and focus our sights on global IoT opportunities and driving shareholder value,” stated Ms. Swenson. “I am confident we have the people, assets and operational alignment necessary to achieve growth with our higher-margin software and SaaS offerings, including the fleet and vehicle-telematics offerings from our recently acquired DigiCore operations and its 325,000 Ctrack subscribers.”