VEON Appoints New CEO And Chairman

VEON has appointed Ursula Burns as chairman and CEO with immediate effect. Ms Burns has been the chairman of VEON’s board of directors since July 2017 and was appointed to the role of executive chairman in March 2018. During this time, Burns streamlined the company’s corporate structure, steering it towards a leaner and nimbler model.

“The Board has been impressed with Ursula’s performance and leadership of the Company. The management team are clearly working well together and focused on delivering against strategic priorities. Ursula has led VEON through a major transaction in the sale of its Italy joint venture for $2.9 billion and overseen a period of solid quarterly operational performance. We are confident that with her as Chairman and CEO there will be further improvements across the business,” said Sir Julian Horn-Smith, director of VEON’s Board.

Previously, Burns has served as chairman of the board for Xerox Corporation between 2010 and 2017 and also as the company’s CEO from 2009 to 2016.

Burns was appointed to lead the White House’s national programme on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) by former US President, Barak Obama. She was also the chair of the President’s export council under President Obama.

Burns said that she was looking forward to building on her previous successes and to boosting profitability at VEON in the years ahead.

“I am honoured to be appointed Chairman and CEO of VEON. The company operates in a diverse group of markets, with growing populations and rapidly increasing smartphone ownership. This clearly presents a host of growth opportunities for VEON as we seek to build on the positive momentum that we are seeing across the business. I look forward to continuing to lead VEON towards more success and increased shareholder value,” she said. – Total Telecom