Clearfield Expands Executive Leadership Team

Clearfield Inc., a provider of community broadband fiber connectivity, recently announced a series of executive leadership changes designed to support the company’s next phase of growth and strengthen its sales and marketing organization.

Anis Khemakhem has been appointed chief commercial officer (CCO), expanding his responsibilities beyond marketing to oversee Clearfield’s global sales organization. Since joining Clearfield in 2024 as VP of global technology platforms and then rising to chief marketing officer, Khemakhem is credited with increasing the company’s brand presence and evolving its marketing strategy. In his new role, Khemakhem will lead a unified sales and marketing organization focused on customer engagement, market expansion and driving growth to support accelerating broadband deployments and emerging opportunities in AI, data centers, IoT and wireless technologies, the company said.

As part of the transition, Allen Griser, who has served as Clearfield’s CCO since 2019, will leave the company by year-end to pursue other interests. Until then, Griser will serve in an executive advisory role in support of sales initiatives. Clearfield officials credited Griser with building “a robust sales infrastructure” that has put the company in position to grow.

Clearfield also made two new executive appointments to its sales and channel leadership. Mike Ward has joined the company as VP of sales, broadband, and Marc Temple was named VP of channels and strategic alliances.

Based in Tampa, Fla., Ward has more than 25 years of telecom sales leadership experience, most recently serving as VP of global sales at Charles Industries. He’ll lead Clearfield’s broadband-focused sales strategy.

Temple is based in Trabuco Canyon, Calif., He has more than 25 years of experience leading global sales and channel organizations across industries including broadband, aerospace and defense. At Clearfield, he’ll oversee the company’s channel strategy, working with distributors, integrators and ecosystem partners to expand Clearfield’s market reach.

“These leadership updates reflect our commitment to building the right team for the opportunities ahead,” said Cheri Beranek, president and CEO of Clearfield. “Anis has proven his ability to expand our marketing efforts and now, as CCO, will align sales and marketing under a unified strategy to fuel growth. We are grateful for Allen’s many contributions in building a strong sales foundation and look forward to his continued guidance. And we are thrilled to welcome Mike and Marc, both of whom bring outstanding experience, energy and a customer-first approach that will help accelerate our momentum.”