Vodafone has appointed former EE CEO Olaf Swantee to its board as a non-executive director and to its audit and risk committee.
Swantee is a veteran of the telecoms industry and oversaw the integration of Orange and T-Mobile in the early 2010s before the combined EE was bought by EE in 2016.
He has also held positions at T-Mobile in the US, Mobistar in Belgium and Orange in Poland, was most recently CEO of Swiss operator Sunrise, spearheading its 5G rollout and attempting to negotiate a merger with UPC.
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"An honour"
It was believed the combination of UPC’s cable infrastructure and Sunrise’s mobile network would create a formidable challenge to the incumbent Swisscom. However, Swantee departed Sunrise in early 2020 after failing to force the transaction through. A deal was agreed later that year, however.
“[Swantee] brings a wealth of communications expertise, has a strong track record of value creation and has presided over a number of Europe’s leading telecoms businesses,” said Vodafone chairman Jean-Francois van Boxmeer.
“He is also passionate about technology and its potential to change society for the better. I look forward to Olaf’s contribution to our Board and him playing a significant role in the next stage of Vodafone’s strategic development.”
“It is an honour to be invited to join the Board of Vodafone, Europe and Africa’s leading telecommunications company,” added Swantee. “I am greatly looking forward to working with Jean-Francois and the board to support Nick [Read, Vodafone Group CEO]and the executive team successfully drive forward the strategy.”
Swantee is currently non-executive director at Telia but will not seek re-election to the position, while he is also set to become chairman of Swiss mobile retailer mobile zone.
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