Telenor (OSE:TEL) and TeliaSonera (OMX:TLSN) have named Hilde Tonne as CEO and Dennis Kilian as CFO of their proposed mobile joint venture in Denmark.
The merger of the operators’ Danish operations is currently the subject of an in-depth European…
Telenor (OSE:TEL) and TeliaSonera (OMX:TLSN) have named Hilde Tonne as CEO and Dennis Kilian as CFO of their proposed mobile joint venture in Denmark.
The merger of the operators’ Danish operations is currently the subject of an in-depth European Commission investigation overseen by competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager. The companies hope to gain clearance by the end of the year.
Tonne, a Norwegian, would join from Telenor’s executive management team, which she first joined in 2007. Since September 2011, she has also been Telenor’s head of group industrial development.
She will start as programme manager on 1 August before the deal completes, managing a small Copenhagen-based team of employees from TeliaSonera and Telenor.
Tonne and her team will lay the groundwork for the merger, which will rival incumbent TDC as the country’s largest mobile operator. The tie-up was agreed last December and is an extension of the two operators’ network sharing agreement.
Commenting on Tonne’s appointment, Robert Andersson, TeliaSonera’s executive vice president and head of Europe, said: “Hilde Tonne is a very competent and experienced leader with a strong track record for driving change and for challenging status quo.
“These skills are an ideal match for joining two business units and forming a new, strong and innovative company with the ambition of challenging the Danish telco market.”
Kilian to join from Telia Denmark
Future CFO Kilian has been CFO of TeliaSonera’s Danish operation since March 2013.
Kjell-Morten Johnsen, Telenor’s Executive vice president and head of Europe, said Kilian had a “firm grasp of financial fundamentals, commercial understanding and analytic skills, which has made him a key driver to the [Telia Denmark] business”.
Johnsen added that Kilian played an “active role in developing and defining the overall strategy for Telia Denmark” and ensured “business decisions were grounded in sound financial criteria”.
Abildgaard named deputy CEO
Telia Denmark CEO Soren Abildgaard, for his part, will become deputy CEO. He will be responsible for the consumer business and the brands, channels and marketing.
Telenor and TeliaSonera have not confirmed the name of the JV. There has been speculation they may follow the example of EE, the new brand created for the merged UK businesses of Deutsche Telekom and Orange.
Johnsen said Abildgaard had been appointed “for his insight in the industry, his commercial understanding, and operational knowledge”.
“He has shown an ability to adapt to a fast-changing environment and translate strategic visions into action,” Johnsen said.
Summing up, Andersson said: “The skills, core knowledge, and areas of experience of these three people complement each other and make them a very strong top management team.”
