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Mike Zafirovski is president and chief executive officer of Nortel, a global leader in innovative communications and services that are enabling the transformation of businesses around the world.
Since joining Nortel in November, 2005, Zafirovski has drawn on his depth of global business expertise to drive sustainable business improvements that build on the company's innovative strength in new technologies that are bringing unprecedented levels of personalization, security and mobility to communications.
Zafirovski, 53, is a 30-year business veteran with impressive global experience at two of the world's highest profile corporate innovators - General Electric and Motorola.
Prior to his current role at Nortel, he was president and chief operating officer of Motorola, Inc. from July 2002 to February 2005 where he was a key player leading the company's re-emergence in innovation, market share gains and significant profitability improvements by all six businesses. Zafirovski joined Motorola in June 2000 to lead its mobile devices business, which during his tenure returned to profitability and increased market share through the introduction of exciting new products and the Moto branding campaign.
Before his leadership positions at Motorola, Zafirovski spent 25 years at General Electric (GE), including 13 years as president and chief executive officer of five businesses in the industrial, financial services and insurance businesses. Prior to that, he held a number of increasingly senior positions in finance, auditing, marketing and strategy/business development at various GE businesses.
In 2007, President George W. Bush appointed Zafirovski to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC). In its advisory role to the president, the NSTAC provides industry-based analysis and recommendations on a wide range of policy and technical issues related to telecommunications, information systems, information assurance, infrastructure protection, and other national security and emergency preparedness concerns.
As a presidential appointee to NSTAC, Zafirovski serves as a resource for the President and his national security team in efforts to safeguard critical U.S. infrastructure and telecommunications networks. In this capacity, Zafirovski participates in discussions on a broad range of policy and technical issues related to telecommunications, critical infrastructure protection, homeland security, and other security concerns.
Zafirovski holds a B.A. in mathematics from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania where he also captained the intercollegiate soccer and swimming teams. In 2002, Edinboro University awarded Zafirovski with an honorary doctorate degree. A native of Macedonia, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2004.
Zafirovski serves on the board of directors of Boeing. An active member of civic and business communities, Zafirovski serves on several professional, educational and non-profit business organizations, including The Canadian Council of Chief Executives, The Economic Club of Chicago and the Macedonian Arts Council. He and his wife Robin are the national chairs for Duke University's Parents' Committee. They have three sons. | 