XO Communications has appointed Christopher Ancell as the company's new CEO, replacing Laura W. Thomas.

The company said it expects Ancell to advance the company as a provider of IT IP communications, intelligent networking and cloud computing services for business, large enterprise and wholesale customers

Ancell joined XO Communications after a nearly 30-year career of operational and sales leadership in communications and technology services.  

He most recently served as senior vice president of sales and sales engineering for CoreSite Realty Corporation. Ancell spent 12 years in a variety of leadership roles at both CenturyLink and Qwest.

Ancell has also held management positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers and with Oracle's Telecommunications Consulting Practice.

Thomas will remain with the company, taking over as CFO.