AT&T picks up new president

Telecommunications giant AT&T reported Tuesday that it has chosen William J. Hannigan to serve as its president. Hannigan, 44, most recently worked as chairman and chief executive of travel reservation specialist Sabre Holdings, and succeeds Betsy Bernard, who is leaving AT&T to pursue other opportunities.

Hannigan brings roughly 16 years of experience in the telecom industry to his latest role. Prior to joining Sabre in 1999, he held senior executive positions at AT&T rivals Sprint, Pacific Bell and SBC Communications. At SBC, he served as president of SBC Global Markets and president of Southwestern Bell's $4.5 billion Business Communications Services unit. Before that he spent 12 years at Sprint and its predecessor companies. Hannigan was recently appointed to the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee, which advises U.S. President George W. Bush and his administration.