NEW YORK, Nov. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Lightyear, Telecom’s System of Action, today announced the winners of its fourth annual Luminaries of Telecom Awards, recognizing the people, teams, and organizations driving innovation and transformation across enterprise telecom.

For the first time, the awards were presented live at Layer8 by Lightyear, the company’s inaugural one-day industry event held in NYC on November 4, 2026. This year’s program recognized enterprise leaders and teams across four categories:

• Platform Excellence
• AI Trailblazer
• Dream Team
• Transformation of the Year

The 2026 Luminaries Awards celebrate the individuals and organizations pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in telecom, from embracing AI-driven operations to transforming network procurement, telecom management, and collaboration.

2026 Award Recipients

Platform Excellence

Recognizing individuals who demonstrate exceptional use of the Lightyear platform through rapid implementation, innovative application, and measurable business impact.

Winners:

• Motorola Solutions: Nicole Pagliaro-Mojica, Sr. Manager I, IT Network Business Operations, Telecom Services; Yader Rodriguez, Network Engineer; and Tina Covert, Network & Telecom Sr. Project Manager
• Rise Internet: Duane Zechmann, Field Engineering Manager

AI Trailblazer

Celebrating the forward-thinking leaders putting agentic AI to work in network operations to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and deliver meaningful business outcomes.

Winners:

• The Trade Desk: Aftab Ali, Head of Infrastructure BizOps, and Kazuma Nagatori, Lead Staff Network Engineer
• Elauwit Connection: Taylor Jones, President and CTO

Dream Team

Recognizing IT teams that exemplify exceptional collaboration, leveraging technology and strategic processes to work more effectively and deliver stronger outcomes across their organizations.

Winners:

• FactSet: Umer Malik, Associate Director of Data Centers and Network Operations

Transformation of the Year

Honoring organizations that have leveraged Lightyear to fundamentally transform their network infrastructure while establishing best-in-class approaches to telecom procurement and vendor management.

Winners:

• Honeywell Aerospace: Todd Stewart, Vice President of Network, Infrastructure, Computing, and Support
• Solstice Advanced Materials: Bryan Adcock, Senior Strategic Sourcing Manager of Global IT Procurement and Steve Delatte, IT Director

Celebrating the People Moving Telecom Forward

“Telecom is at an inflection point. AI is changing what’s possible in network operations, but successful transformation still comes down to the people willing to challenge the status quo and rethink how things have always been done,” said Dennis Thankachan, CEO and Co-Founder of Lightyear. “This year’s Luminaries represent exactly that mindset. They’re not just adopting new technology; they’re putting it to work to drive real change across their organizations. We’re proud to be a part of their journeys and even more excited about what’s ahead for this industry.”

Lightyear congratulates all of this year’s winners and finalists and extends its sincere appreciation to the judging panel and event hosts for their time, expertise, and contributions to the program.

Congratulations to the 2026 Luminaries. We’ll see you next year!

About Lightyear

Lightyear helps more than 450 enterprises procure, manage, and pay for telecom services through one connected platform. Its Procurement, Network Inventory Management, and Expense Management products combine software, AI agents, proprietary data from 1,200+ carriers, and telecom experts to reduce costs, save time, and maintain control across the service lifecycle.

Media Contact

Caroline Colwell
caroline@lightyear.ai

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SOURCE Lightyear