March 24 (Reuters) - Wireless tower operator Crown

Castle ( CCI ) said on Monday it has terminated CEO Steven

Moskowitz, effective immediately.

Dan Schlanger, the company's current finance chief, has been

named as the interim CEO, while the board has initiated a search

to appoint Moskowitz's successor.

The executive shake-up comes close on the heels of Crown

Castle's ( CCI ) $8.5 billion deal to sell fiber assets to EQT Active

Core and Zayo, after activist investor Elliott Investment

Management pushed the wireless tower company for changes.

The deal was the culmination of Elliott publicly mounting

pressure on Crown Castle ( CCI ) for two years to rethink its corporate

strategy, after alleging years of underperformance.

Crown Castle ( CCI ) said Moskowitz's termination was not due to any

disagreements on its policies or financial performance.

The company did not immediately respond to Reuters' request

for further comment. Asked whether the decision was related to

pressure from Elliott, a person familiar with the matter said

the board decision was unanimous.

In December 2023, the company announced a formal review of

its fiber business and replaced two directors on its board with

Elliott's Jason Genrich and former T-Mobile executive Sunit

Patel, who will succeed Schlanger as the CFO.

The same month, Jay Brown stepped down from his role as CEO,

after leading Crown Castle ( CCI ) between 2016 and 2024. The move was

seen as a major win for Elliott, which publicly sought a

management shakeup.

Moskowitz joined the company in April 2024, after serving as

the CEO of Mexico-based wireless infrastructure provider

Centennial Towers for nine years.

He had also worked for rival American Tower ( AMT ) for 11

years as executive vice president.

Crown Castle ( CCI ) said Moskowitz's termination was not due to any

disagreements on its policies or financial performance.

Elliott owns a stake of about 0.7% in the company, as of

December 31. The stake is valued at approximately $127.80

million, as of Crown Castle's ( CCI ) last closing price.