(RTTNews) – Crown Castle Inc. (CCI), an operator of cell towers, announced late Monday the appointment of Kris Hinson, currently EVP and Chief Commercial Officer, as Chief Financial Officer, effective April 1, 2027.
Hinson succeeds Sunit Patel, who has elected to retire as EVP and CFO, effective March 31, following the filing of the company’s 2026 Form 10-K.
Further, the company announced that Cathy Piche, EVP and Chief Operating Officer will step down from the COO role effective September 23. She will be available as a special advisor supporting the transition and will leave Crown Castle on February 22, after over 15 years with the firm, to pursue other endeavors.
The Company has initiated a search for her replacement.
Hinson has led both investor- and customer-facing teams at Crown Castle. He was previously the firm’s primary contact for investors as VP-Corporate Finance and Treasurer.
Prior to joining the company, Hinson was an executive at ExxonMobil Corp., where he spent 13 years in a variety of finance leadership roles.
In the after-hours trading on the NYSE, the shares gained 0.38 percent, trading at $74.45, after closing Monday’s regular trading 1.92 percent lower.


