Mobile industry and tech channel moves for August 2020
We keep tabs of the movers and shakers so you don't have to
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mNYqtKyeQkifDZiFp32VYE-320-80.jpg)
Got some good news to share with us about your moves? Send the details to desire.athow@futurenet.com with a photo if possible.
West Midlands 5G gets new finance director
The West Midlands 5G testbed has appointed Suvo Datta as finance director. Datta has 15 years experience in finance, sales and management having previously held roles at O2 and Vodafone.
HMD Global makes senior appointment
HMD Global, which manufactures Nokia handsets under licence, has appointed of Alain Lejuene as Global Leader of Operations. An industry veteran of 25 years, Lejuene will oversee engineering and supply chain management efforts at the company.
Westcoast veteran leaves role after 11 years
Darren Seward is leaving Westcoast at the end of June after 11 years with the company. Seward joined the company in October 2009 before assuming his current role in 2016.
Richard Baxendale rejoins Brightstar
Richard Baxendale has joined Brightstar as chief business development officer, more than a decade after his first spell at the company. Baxendale departed his previous role as MD of AO Mobile earlier in 2020.
Three UK gets Chief Network Officer
Three has continued its management restructure with the appointment of Carlo Melis as Chief Network Officer. Melis joins from Italian operator Wind Tre, which is also owned by Three UK’s parent company CK Hutchison.
HMD Global continues marketing recruitment drive
Nokia phone manufacturer HMD Global has appointed Adam Ferguson as head of product marketing. He has previously held similar positions at both OnePlus and EE.
Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
Former PayPal CMO to lead marketing at HMD Global
HMD Global, the firm that manufactures Nokia devices under licence, has named Stephen Taylor as Chief Marketing Officer. Taylor has more nearly three decades of experience in sales and marketing having previously held positions at PayPal and Samsung.
Severina Pascu is Virgin Media's new CFO and Deputy CEO
Virgin Media has appointed Severina Pascu as CFO and Deputy CEO. Pascu was previously at sister company UPC Switzerland. In addition to finance, she will also take on responsibility for customer service and field operations as well as logistics and supply chain, reporting to Virgin Media CEO Lutz Schüler.
Arqiva appoints Paul Donovan as CEO
Arqiva has appointed Paul Donovan as CEO with immediate effect. Donovan is currently sits as a non-executive director on the company's board and has more than 20 years experience in the technology, media and telecommunications sectors. He will work with incumbent Simon Beresford-Wylie over the next two months in order to enable a smooth transition.
James Kitto promoted to UK & Ireland VP Sales
James Kitto has been promoted from Sales Director for UK & Ireland to UK & Ireland Vice-President of Sales at Samsung. In his expanded role, Kitto will be responsible for continuing Samsung's 5G strategy, customer loyalty efforts and the company's ecosystem proposition.
Onestream recruits ex-Mobile Phones Direct COO as CEO
Independent ISP Onestream has appointed former Mobile Phones Direct COO James Carr as CEO. Carr oversaw the £38.1 million sale of the online mobile phone retailer and will be tasked with expanding Onestream’s workforce to eighty full time employees by the end of 2020.
Pekka Lundmark replaces Rajeev Suri as Nokia CEO
Rajeev Suri will step down as Nokia CEO on September 1 and will be replaced by company alumnus Pekka Lundmark. Currently CEO of Finnish-based energy company Fortum, Lundmark was at Nokia between 1990 and 2000 and will look to deliver the firm’s 5G strategy.
Oliver Dowden is the new Culture Minister
Oliver Dowden has been named as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. He was previously Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, having been elected as an MP in 2015.
Phil Sheppard Departs Three
Three has confirmed its director of strategy and architecture Phil Sheppard has left the company after 19 years. Sheppard plans to do some consultancy work and take some time off.
Simon Saunders joins Ofcom
Simon Saunders will join Ofcom next month as Director of Emerging Technology. Saunders was previously at Google, where he was Head of Connectivity Partnerships for EMEA. He has also held positions at Motorola and Philips, and is a visiting professor at Kings College London.
Brightstar welcomes two major arrivals
Brightstar has expanded its ranks with two major appointments. David Brassington has joined the company from TechData, where he was Business Unit Director for Mobile and CE Endpoint Solutions, while Jon Charters (pictured) has assumed the role of Head of Retail. He was previously at Sony Mobile.
Samsung Mobile UK has a new marketing director
Samsung has appointed Sharon Hegarty as IM Marketing Director for UK & Ireland. She joins from Virgin Media having previously held positions at Sky, TalkTalk. At Samsung she will drive the company's strategic approach to launch campaigns, 5G, and loyalty campaigns.
HMD Global gets new UK GM
HMD Global has promoted Omar Riaz to the position of General Manager for UK & Ireland. Riaz was previously General Manager for Sales Operations for Europe for HMD Global and has been with the company for the past three years. Ruben Lehmann has also been named as HMD Global’s VP of Europe, joining from Swiss distributor Autronic.
A1 Comms gets new Digital and Telesales head
Bobbie Bhogal has joined A1 Comms as Managing Director of Digital, overseeing the Digital Telesales business at A1 Comms. Bhogal founded e2Save.com in 1999, launched mobile phone ecommerce firm Stickee Technology, and directed Dixons Carphone Online Solutions.
Steve McCaskill is TechRadar Pro's resident mobile industry expert, covering all aspects of the UK and global news, from operators to service providers and everything in between. He is a former editor of Silicon UK and journalist with over a decade's experience in the technology industry, writing about technology, in particular, telecoms, mobile and sports tech, sports, video games and media.