(Rewrites, adds detail.)
By Simon Zekaria and Tapan Panchal
LONDON--Vodafone Group PLC (VOD.LN) Tuesday announced changes to
the management structure of its European operations, including the
departure of the regional chief executive, as the mobile
telecommunications company moves to boost decision-making in the
area, which has suffered sluggish sales in recent years.
Vodafone, which generates the lion's share of its sales in
Europe, said its regional chief executive for Europe, Philipp Humm,
will leave this year. It also said the heads of its four largest
European markets--Germany, Italy, the U.K. and Spain--will become
members of the group executive committee and report directly to
Chief Executive Vittorio Colao.
The chief executive of Vodafone in the Netherlands will join the
executive committee and assume additional leadership
responsibilities for smaller European markets, Vodafone said.
The changes are effective from October.
The world's second-largest mobile operator by number of
subscribers after China Mobile said the changes will simplify
processes, enhance efficiency and accelerate decision-making.
Vodafone is spending billions of dollars on its global network,
both wireless and fixed, including sums earmarked for Europe as it
bids to revitalize its fortunes in the region, which has posted
weak revenue amid consumer spending pressures and high competition
among telecom operators.
Operators in Europe are converging to provide bundled offers of
telephony and media services to boost subscriber loyalty and
revenue. Vodafone has spent $20 billion on acquisitions in Germany
and Spain.
At 1115 GMT, Vodafone shares had fallen 0.3% to 238 pence,
valuing the company at 63.4 billion pounds ($98.5 billion).
Write to Simon Zekaria at simon.zekaria@wsj.com and Tapan
Panchal at tapan.panchal@wsj.com
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