Swedish incumbent TeliaSonera has announced new board appointments following the controversy over its 2007 3G licence deal in Uzbekistan.
Christian Luiga, previously head of corporate control, has been promoted to acting CFO after Per-Arne Blomquist…
Swedish incumbent TeliaSonera has announced new board appointments following the controversy over its 2007 3G licence deal in Uzbekistan.
Christian Luiga, previously head of corporate control, has been promoted to acting CFO after Per-Arne Blomquist vacated the position to become acting CEO of the group.
Blomquist was appointed to the position after former CEO Lars Nyberg said he will resign following an internal review, which criticised a lack of due diligence by the company into the Uzbek deal.
The telco’s nomination board has also proposed appointing Nordea vice president Marie Ehrling to chair the telco at its AGM on 3 April.
Ehrling would replace Anders Narvinger, who announced plans last year to step down as chairman.
The company continues to deny allegations of bribery and money laundering, and its internal review found no evidence towards these claims. The matter is also the subject of a separate probe by Swedish investigators.
As part of the changes, the company has appointed a new president to manage its Eurasia region, which includes its Uzbekistan unit.
Veysel Aral will take on the position, succeeding Tero Kivisaari, who has been managing dual roles since his appointment as president of mobility services in October 2012.
Aral is currently CEO of Kcell and regional head of Central Asia. He will remain in his role at Kcell alongside being in charge of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Moldova and Nepal. The business area is also responsible for developing TeliaSonera’s shareholding in Russian MegaFon and Turkish Turkcell.
Aral will be based in Istanbul and Almaty.
Blomquist said: “Veysel Aral has a very strong track record, both as CEO of our largest subsidiary in Eurasia and as a regional manager.
“He has an international background in telecommunications and recently led Kcell through a successful IPO process in London and Almaty.”
