US infrastructure player Crown Castle unveiled Vantage Towers CEO Christian Hillabrant (pictured) as its next chief, taking over from interim boss Dan Schlanger, who has held the role since the previous incumbent left in March.

Hillabrant is set to take his new role on 15 September, with Schlanger shifting to EVP and chief transformation officer where he will oversee the ongoing sale of its small cells business to EQT.

Crown Castle noted the incoming executive brings decades of experience across the telecommunications and digital infrastructure sectors. Aside from his stint at Vantage Towers, he has held senior positions at Ericsson, Samsung, T-Mobile US and Tillman Infrastructure.

Chair of Crown Castle Robert Bartolo added Hillabrant’s “deep industry expertise, particularly in managing tower infrastructure at scale, positions him well to lead Crown Castle into its next chapter as a pure-play US tower company”.

He added the appointment followed a thorough search process with the executive deemed to be “the optimal choice to drive results as we advance the company’s strategy and build a best-in-class organisation.”

Crown Castle’s previous permanent CEO Steven Moskowitz lasted around a year in the job, having joined in April 2024.

When he left, the company noted the termination was “not a result of any disagreement” over policies or financial performance, but did not detail the specifics behind the change.

Vantage changes
Hillabrant’s departure after more than two years in charge will leave a gap at the helm of Vantage Towers.

In a statement, the Germany-based company announced CFO Nicolas Mahler would take the reins on an interim basis from the start of September, with a search for a permanent replacement already underway.

Supervisory board chair Michael Bird said the outgoing chief had been “instrumental in solidifying Vantage Towers’ position as leading force in Europe’s digital infrastructure”.

Hillabrant explained: “for personal reasons I have decided to return to the US to be closer to my family and embark on a new challenge”.