ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--To address its strategic imperative to enhance the overall customer experience, DISH (NASDAQ: DISH) – one of the nation's leading pay-TV providers – today announced two key executive changes.

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Bernie Han has assumed increased leadership responsibilities. Mr. Han will oversee all direct and indirect sales and distribution, in addition to his current responsibilities managing operations, information technologies, customer service, customer retention and corporate initiatives.

Dave Shull, who has overseen DISH’s programming and content acquisition group, has been promoted to executive vice president and chief commercial officer. In addition to programming, Mr. Shull will oversee all product management, marketing and advertising sales.

Both Mr. Han and Mr. Shull will continue reporting to DISH President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph P. Clayton. The leadership changes are effective immediately.

“We are in a brand and cultural transformation at DISH and these two leaders understand we must deliver the best possible customer experience with a motivated and engaged workforce,” said Clayton. “Dave, who has forged a leadership role for DISH in the programming arena, will be responsible for creating an unsurpassed customer experience. Bernie will be responsible for delivering and maintaining a superior sales and service experience that builds lasting customer relationships for DISH.”

Consolidating Sales and Operations for a More Cohesive Customer Experience

To streamline the company’s operations and ensure a seamless customer experience, DISH consolidated its sales and operations functions under Mr. Han. “Consolidating our sales and operations efforts will enable us to get even closer to our customers and enhance the speed, agility and responsiveness of every aspect of our business,” said Clayton.

“Bernie has been relentlessly focused on improving the company's operational performance – helping us achieve some of our best operational results in years," Clayton said. “He’s a steadfast advocate for our customers and our employees, and this move will allow us to leverage Bernie’s talents on the revenue side of our business at a time when a new era of growth is opening a host of opportunities for DISH.”

Mr. Han was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer of DISH in 2009. Previously, he served for three years as DISH’s chief financial officer.

Prior to joining DISH in 2006, Mr. Han held several positions of increasing responsibility in the airline industry, including the role of chief financial officer at Northwest Airlines, and chief financial officer and chief marketing officer at America West Airlines.

Reporting to Mr. Han will be Amir Ahmed, senior vice president of sales and distribution, Brian Neylon, senior vice president, sales planning, administration and direct sales, Erik Carlson, executive vice president of operations, Mike McClaskey, senior vice president and chief information officer, Kathy Schneider, senior vice president, customer service, Kevin Covell, vice president, retention marketing and Rex Povenmire, vice president, corporate initiatives.

Integrating Key Product and Marketing Functions to Meet Growing Demand

To ensure continued development of superior entertainment experiences, DISH integrated product development, content acquisition and packaging, marketing and advertising sales under a single leader.

“Dave has been a driving force at DISH, bringing innovation and transformation to our business for almost a decade,” said Clayton. “I’m confident his leadership will enable us to become even more customer-focused, more collaborative and better able to create new products and services that provide the exceptional TV viewing experiences that our customers have come to expect from DISH.”

Previously Mr. Shull was senior vice president of programming at DISH, where he was responsible for the acquisition and renewal of programming content, which includes national cable channels, Latino and international content, local broadcast stations and premium services such as HBO, Showtime and Starz. He also oversaw the DISH Cinema, DISHWorld and digital content businesses.

Mr. Shull joined DISH in 2004 as director and assistant to Chairman Charlie Ergen. He served numerous roles at DISH’s headquarters in the U.S., including vice president of U.S. operations, and spent three years in Hong Kong as managing director of EchoStar International. Before his time at DISH, Mr. Shull held various leadership positions with venture capital funded high-tech companies involved in the enterprise software industry and as a principal at strategy consulting firm, the Parthenon Group.

Reporting to Mr. Shull will be James Moorhead, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Warren Schlichting, senior vice president of media sales and analytics and Vivek Khemka, senior vice president of product management. The senior vice president of programming also will report to Mr. Shull, once a successor is appointed to the role.

About DISH

DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), through its subsidiary DISH Network L.L.C., provides approximately 14.056 million satellite TV customers, as of Dec. 31, 2012, with the highest quality programming and technology with the most choices at the best value, including HD Free for Life. Subscribers enjoy the largest high definition line-up with more than 200 national HD channels, the most international channels, and award-winning HD and DVR technology. DISH Network Corporation's subsidiary, Blockbuster L.L.C., delivers family entertainment to millions of customers around the world. DISH Network Corporation is a Fortune 200 company. Visit www.dish.com.

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