Mr. Gerdes specializes in evaluating business model changes for larger transformations, economic structure of current and nascent technologies including communications providers’ network assets, and competitive positioning across core and emerging markets. His focuses include network strategy and planning, cost structure evaluation, operating model redesign and restructuring, M&A strategy and due diligence, and business model innovation and transformation.

Mr. Gerdes has experience launching new products, optimizing existing businesses and finding new sources of growth, turning around and restructuring businesses through M&A, and pushing cutting-edge thinking as the industry evolves. His notable assignments have included network synergy analysis and cost take-out for a $100+ billion company, product strategy, spectrum valuations supporting $10+ billion in spending, fiber to the X (FTTx) broadband planning and deployment, product portfolio simplification, channel strategy transformation, and structural separation (e.g., network company/service company) evaluations for companies with $30–$100 billion in revenue.

Prior to joining A&M, Mr. Gerdes spent almost eight years with Accenture in its Strategy practice, where he most recently served as the Global Strategy Leader for Communications and Media. Prior to that, he spent 14 years at the intersection of strategy and the communications and technology industry at Deloitte and another five years as a network engineer for AT&T and a start-up company developing and supporting key data networks, including Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), IP backbone, ATM, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Mr. Gerdes earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and psychology from Rutgers University, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, and an MBA from the New York University Stern School of Business.