Policyband

Special Report: 5 Questions for Shentel President and CEO Christopher French

Fiber ISP leader stepping down after 37 years in charge amid rapid industry change.

Ted Hearn

Aug 16, 2025 — 3 min read

From right: Shentel President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher French with cable broadband marketing consultant Anne Cowan and Rob Stoddard, retired senior Vice President of Industry and Association Affairs at NCTA - The Internet & Television Association at a 2019 awards ceremony held by VCTA - Broadband Association of Virginia in Williamsburg, Va., by Policyband

Preview: Shentel President and CEO Christopher French has announced that he is stepping down to become Executive Chairman of the Board. He became company president in 1988, succeeding his father Warren, who became the company’s leader in 1973. His father joined the company as general manager in 1954 and was appointed President in 1973.

During his decades at the helm, French led the Edinburg, Va., organization as it expanded its reach into cable TV; vied in the mobile phone business that ended with a lucrative sale to T-Mobile in 2021; and developed the multi-Gig Glo Fiber broadband network that now has 379,000 passings in Ohio and several mid-Atlantic states combined.

Policyband wanted to check in with French before he turns over the reins to his successor, current EVP and COO Ed McKay, on Sept. 1, 2025.