7. EXPANSION PLANNER Tom Rutledge Title: President & CEO, Charter Communications Years in Cable: 38 Education: BA, Economics, California University in California, PA Since getting Charter back on an even keel, Rutledge has focused on improving products and services, and completing the rollout of its Spectrum digital suite. A cash and asset swap with Comcast gave Charter nearly 4 million subscribers, elevating it to the second largest cable company in the U.S. The consummation of Rutledge's recently proposed $10.4 billion deal to acquire cable's sixth-largest operator Bright House Networks, would only strengthen Charter's position in the cable industry. ■ 12 cablefaxmag.com May 2015 Cablefax: The Magazinehttp://www.cablefaxmag.com