Press Releases May 21, 2026 09:20 AM

Crown Castle Names Kris Hinson as Chief Commercial Officer and Mark Lennon as Chief Information Officer

Crown Castle strengthens executive leadership with key appointments to drive commercial and digital growth

By Avery Klein CCI

Crown Castle Inc. appoints Kris Hinson as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, and Mark Lennon as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. These leadership changes are aimed at enhancing customer relationships, commercial strategy, digital transformation, AI adoption, and information security as the company continues its focus as a pure-play U.S. wireless infrastructure provider.

Crown Castle Names Kris Hinson as Chief Commercial Officer and Mark Lennon as Chief Information Officer
CCI

Key Points

  • Kris Hinson, with a strong background in corporate finance at Crown Castle and ExxonMobil, will lead commercial strategy and customer relationships.
  • Mark Lennon brings extensive CIO experience to lead digital transformation, technology innovation, AI integration, and cybersecurity efforts.
  • The appointments align with Crown Castle's goal to optimize its U.S. cell tower portfolio driving wireless connectivity growth across urban and rural communities.

HOUSTON, May 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE: CCI) ("Crown Castle") announced today that Kris Hinson has been named to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), and Mark Lennon has been named to the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Mr. Hinson will manage customer commercial relationships and commercial strategy. Mr. Lennon will lead Crown Castle’s data, digital and information security strategies and teams. Cathy Piche will continue in her role as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), focused on robust asset management and delivering the best possible customer experience on Crown Castle towers. Hamilton West is now Vice President – Corporate Finance and Treasurer, replacing Mr. Hinson in that role.

"Kris Hinson is the right person to fill the commercial spot on our executive leadership team as we embark as a pure-play U.S. tower company. In his three years at Crown Castle, he’s demonstrated deep knowledge of our business and built a strong reputation with our Board of Directors and investors as our VP of Corporate Finance and Treasurer," said Chris Hillabrant, Crown Castle's President and Chief Executive Officer. "I’m also thrilled to add the talent of Mark Lennon to our team. I expect that Mark will drive results and continue to improve the customer experience through our digital transformations, lead our efforts to effectively leverage AI and strengthen the security of our information systems.”

BIOGRAPHY – KRIS HINSON
Kris Hinson served as Crown Castle’s VP – Corporate Finance and Treasurer since 2023, with responsibility including investor relations, strategic planning, treasury, procurement, business analytics, sustainability and corporate facilities. Prior to joining the company, Kris was an executive at ExxonMobil, where he spent 13 years in a variety of finance leadership roles, most recently as Director of Investor Relations and Managing Director of ExxonMobil Czech Republic. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB in Economics from Harvard College.

BIOGRAPHY – MARK LENNON
Mark Lennon has led large-scale enterprise transformations to drive business value through technology. He was recently CIO and Digital Officer at Netpower, where he developed and led this startup through its digital strategy for a new phase of growth. He’s also held CIO roles at Archrock, Jardine Lloyd Thompson, Maersk Oil and Universalpegasus International. He began his career with the Royal Air Force in the U.K.

ABOUT CROWN CASTLE
Crown Castle owns, operates and leases approximately 40,000 cell towers across the U.S. This nationwide portfolio serves as the foundation of wireless connectivity that provides cities and communities access to essential data, technology and wireless service – bringing information, ideas, innovations and the connectivity of modern life to help people and businesses thrive. For more information on Crown Castle, please visit www.crowncastle.com.

CONTACTS
Sunit Patel, CFO
Hamilton West, VP – Corporate Finance and Treasurer
Crown Castle Inc.
713-570-3050


Risks

  • Transition in leadership may come with short-term operational adjustments potentially impacting execution speed.
  • Implementation risks associated with digital transformation and AI adoption could affect customer experience and information security outcomes.
  • Market competition in wireless infrastructure might intensify requiring continued innovation and cost management from Crown Castle.

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