Board Member and Advisor
on Telecom, Digital Infra-
structure, and Capital Strategy

Helping operators, investors, and institutions
navigate growth, risk, and transformation in
lobal communications markets.

About

ABOUT

Sean P. McDevitt is a board member, senior advisor, and telecommunications industry leader, with more than 30 years of experience guiding strategy, investment, and transformation across global markets.

Sean focuses on how capital intensity, regulation, and technology convergence are reshaping telecommunications and digital infrastructure investment.

In 2023, Sean was appointed by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to the Board of the First

Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), an independent authority within the U.S. Department of Commerce. FirstNet is responsible for building and operating the nationwide public safety broadband network. Reappointed in 2024 to a full three-year term, Sean serves as Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee, overseeing a $40B+ investment program and helping guide long-term capital strategy, governance, and risk management.

Sean is a Partner at Arthur D. Little in the TMT practice, where he advises telecom operators, infrastructure investors, and financial sponsors on growth strategy, capital deployment, market structure, and the evolving dynamics of broadband, spectrum, and digital infrastructure. He also serves on the firm’s Global Partnership Assessment Committee.

Sean is widely recognized for his perspective on the evolution of telecommunications markets, including infrastructure investment, regulatory frameworks, and the convergence of telecom, media, and technology. He brings a combination of board-level oversight, investor insight, and operator experience to complex industry challenges.

Prior to joining Arthur D. Little, Sean was Vice President of North American Strategy and Management Consulting at Cartesian, where he led growth and client delivery across the communications and digital media sectors.

Earlier in his career, Sean held executive leadership roles in newly deregulated European telecom markets, including the UK, Italy, and France. He led multiple market entry and scaling initiatives, serving as President of Il Numero Italia and CEO of Le Numéro France, where he oversaw regulatory strategy, operational buildout, and go-to-market execution. In the UK, he helped develop a data-driven lead generation business based on call analytics and advertiser value.

Sean holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA in Classics and Business Economics from Brown University.

Outside of his professional work, Sean is a Level 5 USA Hockey coach and a Level 4 certified official, working across youth, high school, NCAA, and adaptive hockey. He regularly officiates in the Northeast Sled Hockey League and has been selected for multiple USA Hockey Sled National Championships and NHL Sled Classics.

publication

PERSPECTIVES

ON TELECOM, AI INFRASTRUCTURE, AND INVESTMENT STRATEGY

AI Infrastructure and Data Centers

The Giga Scale Revolution: The AI Infrastructure Gold Rush December 2025
Data Centers go Orbital March 2026
Will an Energy Crunch Stop the AI Revolution in Its Tracks? Feb 2026
Edge Computing : Hype or ripe? October 2021

Telecom Investment and Consolidation

Buy or Be Bought? Choose Now, co-author of ADL Viewpoint December 2025
Reshaping Telecom Investment in a Next-Generation World July 2024
Unlocking Sustainability Value in Private Equity May 2024
Migrating to the Next Network March 2024
Enabling a Sustainable Telco Ecosystem July 2023
Operations 4.0 – The five tech pillars that will make or break telco operators in 2022, June 2022
Consolidation Onset : How to sustain accelerated CPaaS value creation December 2021
Closing in: The development of CPaaS towards a cohesive market structure February 2021
Delivering the Digital Dividend December 2018
Google Buys Motorola: The Most Expensive Corporate R&D Experiment of All Time? October 2011

5G / IoT Evolution

Now is the time for Healthcare Providers to get into IoT March 2021
Seizing the IoT opportunity in the 5G Era November 2020
The Race to the Home Butler May 2020
Realizing the potential of the Internet of Things with 5G H1 2020
The Race to 5G March 2019
Private Campus Networks February 2019
R2V – The 5G Growth Engine January 2019

AWARDS & CERTIFICATIONS

The Top 25 Private Equity Consultants and Leaders of 2025

and 2024
The Consulting Report

NACD Directorship Certification®
National Association of Corporate Directors
December 2024

The Top 25 Technology Consultants and Leaders of 2025, 2024, and 2023

The Consulting Report

The Top 25 Marketing and Sales Consultants and Leaders of 2024 and 2023

The Consulting Report

The premier certification program designed to qualify corporate directors for effective boardroom performance.

Luce Scholar

The Henry Luce Foundation

1992 -1993

One of 18 Americans awarded a Henry Luce Foundation scholarship / placement with the LG Economic Research Institute in Seoul, Korea

expeience

EXPERIENCE

Sean’s career spans board service, senior advisory work, and operator leadership across telecommunications, digital infrastructure, and technology-enabled services. Across consulting and executive roles in North America and Europe, he has led growth strategy, investment evaluation, market entry, operational buildout, and governance in complex and rapidly evolving markets.

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Arthur D. Little
Global Partnership Assessment Committee |
Partner | TIME Practice | USA Transactions/Private Equity Lead

(2017 - Present)

Sean is a Partner at Arthur D. Little, where he advises telecommunications operators, infrastructure investors, private equity sponsors, and lenders on strategy, investment, and transformation. His work spans growth strategy, commercial due diligence, market structure, spectrum and broadband strategy, and digital infrastructure investment themes across global markets. He also contributes to firm governance through service on the Global Partnership Assessment Committee.

FirstNet Authority
Chair, Finance & Investment Committee | Programs & Future Planning Committee
Board Member

(2023 - Present)

Appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Sean serves on the Board of FirstNet, the independent authority responsible for the nationwide public safety broadband network. As Chair of the Finance & Investment Committee, he helps oversee long-term capital allocation, investment planning, and financial stewardship for a $40B+ national infrastructure program. His role brings together public mission, infrastructure governance, and disciplined investment oversight at national scale.

Cartesian
Vice President and Partner, Strategy and Management Consulting

(2010-2016)

At Cartesian, Sean led North American consulting activities across the communications and digital media sectors, with responsibility for client delivery, practice leadership, and growth. He oversaw more than 100 professionals and $30M+ in revenue, advising clients on strategy, operating performance, and market evolution in a period of significant industry change.

Povo
Interim Chief Executive Officer

(2008-2009)

Sean was brought in as Interim CEO to reposition and accelerate an emerging SMB lead-generation business. He refined the commercial model, developed a subscription-based SEO/SEM offering, and led go-to-market execution during a critical stage of the company’s development.

InfoNXX

(2004-2007)

European Operating Leadership
Vice President, EU Expansion | President, Italy | CEO, France | COO, UK

Sean held a series of senior leadership roles across InfoNXX’s European businesses during a period of market deregulation and competitive formation. In Italy and France, he led greenfield market entries, shaping regulatory strategy, negotiating key supplier and outsourcing relationships, building local leadership teams, and launching commercial operations. In the UK, he led the development of a new lead-generation business grounded in call-pattern analytics and advertiser economics.

118//Media UK – Chief Operating Officer
Built and secured approval for a new lead-generation business unit, defining product strategy, commercial positioning, and the business plan for launch.

Le Numéro France 118218 – Président Directeur Général
Led market entry and operating buildout in France, including regulatory strategy, management team formation, and award-winning marketing execution. The business reached the number one market position with 46% share.

Il Numero Italia 892892 – President
Directed greenfield entry into the newly deregulated Italian directory assistance market, including strategic planning, supplier negotiations, and launch execution.

Corporate Decisions / Temple Barker & Sloane

Kellogg Graduate School of Management,
Northwestern University
(1990-1992)

Sean earned his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing, Management Policy, and Organization Behavior from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Brown University
(1983-1987)

Sean earned his Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in Classics and Business Economics.

EDUCATION

networks

NETWORKS

Governance, Advisory, and Professional Affiliations

NACD Directorship Certification®

Completed the NACD’s flagship director credential, reinforcing Sean’s focus on effective board governance, oversight, and boardroom performance.

USA Hockey, Level 4 Tenured On-Ice Official

Sean is a certified Level 4 Tenured (highest level) On-Ice Official for youth, high school, and disabled ice hockey. Sean regularly officiates the NHL Sled Classic and the USA Hockey Sled National Championships. Attended USA Sled Hockey Developmental Camp.