Cincinnati Bell’s Torbeck to retire, Fox to take CEO reins

Cincinnati Bell has named Leigh Fox as president and CEO, succeeding Ted Torbeck who will retire at the end of May following a four-year run leading the regional telco.

Fox currently serves as Cincinnati Bell’s president and COO. His appointment has approval from the board of directors and, the company said, is consistent with the established succession plan. 

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Naming Fox to succeed Torbeck as CEO makes sense. A 16-year company veteran, Fox worked his way up the ranks in a number of key roles, including CFO, chief administrative officer, SVP of finance and operations, and VP of finance at Cincinnati Bell Technology Solutions (CBTS).

He will now lead the telco through the next stage of growth by focusing on three major transformations: transitioning more homes and businesses via its Fioptics fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) program, expanding the IT services business organically and through acquisitions, and adopting software-based operations via new solutions like SD-WAN.

Following his retirement, Torbeck, 60, plans to remain a member of the company’s board of directors and will help ensure a smooth transition of his duties to Fox.

Torbeck, who took over the CEO role in 2013 from Jack Cassidy, came to Cincinnati Bell in September 2010 to lead the telco's communications group as the president and general manager of Cincinnati Bell Communications.

During his tenure at the telco, Torbeck has helped drive the growth of its Cyrus One data center business and its Fioptics broadband service.