John Roth of Nortel

The following is a work in progress. This is my post for the day while I drink my morning coffee thing before getting on to the newborn, the fourteen year-old, the lovely lady, and work.

I'm going to see what they were saying about John Roth of Nortel before and after the fall of Nortel's share prices. Was there anything like the ... simply, what were business commentators saying about this guy?

First: Forbes

Speed without vision doesn't mean much, but fortunately for Nortel Roth also had the vision, telling
employees, "We are going to build a better Internet." How? By placing a huge bet on optical equipment, which was then just starting to gain acceptance as the preferred way for corporations and Internet providers to increase bandwidth.

...

Roth isn't finished--not by a long shot. He's become a crusader for the "pervasive Internet," a service that's always on and available everywhere, just like the dial tone you get on your telephone. "Ultimately, Web tone will be the thing," he predicts. And don't be surprised if Roth-led Nortel is one of the companies that will make it happen.

Next: Networkworld

John Roth is a man of boldness and vision, one who would rather strike than be stricken. Nortel's Bay acquisition is an example of Roth's resolve. Arguably, Bay was the most attractive target of the Big Four data network vendors. Its market valuation was one-tenth that of Cisco's, yet Bay was the No. 2 supplier of IP routers and a leader in LAN hubs and switches for enterprise networks.

Indeed, Roth's play for Bay was a preemptive strike against archrival Lucent and new enemy Cisco. It instantly gave Nortel a stronger, more credible IP data network story than Lucent and created a formidable competitor to both Cisco and Lucent in the IP convergence battle.

Next: Nothing. I'm bored and I've got work to do.