Covad Names Eric Weiss Chief Marketing Officer

Covad Communications Group, Inc., a leading national provider of integrated voice and data communications, has named Eric Weiss chief marketing officer, effective immediately. Weiss is a 15-year veteran in key areas of strategic focus for Covad: retail and wholesale communications, voice over IP, wireless, broadband, and other enhanced IP services for businesses.

Weiss will lead Covad's effort to accelerate revenue growth from new and existing service offerings and marketing initiatives. He will oversee marketing, product management and product strategy and will report to Covad's president and CEO, Charles Hoffman.

"Eric is a vital addition to the Covad management team as we continue to focus on profitable revenue growth," said Hoffman. "Throughout his career he has demonstrated his ability to achieve rapid growth from next-generation networks, whether in start-up ventures or by launching new lines of business within larger public companies."

"I am thrilled to join the Covad team," said Weiss. "Covad is uniquely positioned to help businesses realize the cost benefits and enhanced features of next generation IP and wireless networks."

Weiss brings extensive marketing, product management and business development experience in the telecommunications, IP services and software industries. Prior to joining Covad, Weiss served as an Executive in Residence for the telecommunications practice of the private equity firm Warburg Pincus, an extension of his role as senior vice president and general manager of Mobile Applications for Aicent, Inc., a Warburg portfolio company. Before joining Aicent, he was vice president of Macromedia's telecom solutions business, where he was responsible for product marketing, business development, engineering and strategy. Weiss served previously as chief operating officer at ITXC Corp as it became the global market share leader in international VoIP (voice over IP) services. As part of the original management team that founded ITXC, Weiss was instrumental to growing annual revenues from zero to $338 million, taking the company public in 1999, and building out its next generation IP communications network in over 200 countries. He has also held management positions with Dialogic (now Intel), BCE Ventures, and Hewlett-Packard. Weiss earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Covad (www.covad.com) is a leading nationwide provider of integrated voice and data communications. The company offers DSL, Voice Over IP, T1, Web hosting, managed security, IP and dial-up, broadband wireless, and bundled voice and data services directly through Covad's network and through Internet Service Providers, value-added resellers, telecommunications carriers and affinity groups to small and medium-sized businesses and home users.