New CEOs in Grameenphone and Uninor
Fornebu
7 minute read
Telenor Group today announced that Mr. Rajeev Sethi will join Grameenphone as CEO while Mr. Vivek Sood will join Uninor as CEO.
Mr. Sethi comes from the role as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) in Uninor. Mr. Sood, who has served as Grameenphone CEO since January 2013, re-joins Uninor as CEO. Mr. Morten Karlsen Sørby steps down as CEO of Uninor due to illness in his immediate family and will assume a new role in Telenor Group. Uninor has also appointed a new CMO, Mr. Upanga Dutta. All the changes are effective as of December 1, 2014, but Mr. Sørby will remain as an advisor to the Uninor top management until January 1, 2015.
“Grameenphone and Uninor are currently experiencing significant market growth and they are both delivering on the strategic ambition of Internet for All. Combined, the two companies represent nearly 90 million mobile customers. Grameenphone is an undisputed market leader in Bangladesh and Uninor continues to capture market share in India. With these executive changes, Telenor aims to stimulate further growth and strengthen our position with customers in these markets,” says Sigve Brekke, Executive Vice President and Head of Telenor in Asia.
Grameenphone’s Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Rajeev Sethi as its new CEO. He has served as CMO in Uninor for nearly two years. Prior to that, Mr. Sethi spent more than three years as the head of Uninor’s Uttar Pradesh East circle. He has significant ICT industry experience, including executive engagements in companies such as Vodafone, HP, Hutchison Telecom and Asian Paints. Mr. Sethi received an MBA in Marketing, Finance and Operations from the Indian Institute of Management in Lucknow.
Download picture of Rajeev Sethi
Uninor’s Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Vivek Sood as its new CEO. He comes from the position as CEO in Grameenphone, Bangladesh’s largest mobile operator. During his tenure of nearly two years, Grameenphone has significantly strengthened its market position and financial strength. Recently, Grameenphone crossed the 50 million customer milestone, as the first operation in Telenor Group. Mr. Sood was previously Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in Uninor and has more than 20 years of experience with executive roles in companies such as Tata AIG Life Insurance, Hutchison Telecom, Tupperware India and Hindustan Lever Limited (Unilever).
“With Vivek Sood at the helm of Grameenphone, the company has taken a significant step forward in terms of growth and financial strength. As the largest mobile operator in Bangladesh, Grameenphone has capitalized on its strong position with customers and the business community to roll out a nationwide 3G network and internet-based services that truly delivers on the strategic ambition of Internet for All. On behalf of Telenor Group, I would like to thank Vivek for nearly two years of formidable execution and wish him all the best in his new role at Uninor,” says Sigve Brekke.
Download picture of Vivek Sood
“I would like to express Telenor Group’s gratitude to Morten Karlsen Sørby, who has served as Uninor’s CEO since January 2014. During this period, Uninor has continued to carve out its position in the competitive market for mobile services in India. Today, the company ranks as the 4th largest mobile operator in many of its circles. Morten has, along with his team, strengthened the “Sabse sasta” (best on value) promise to our customers by making affordable data services available to the mass market. We respect his decision to steps down in order to take care of his immediate family, who is based in Sweden, and look forward to continuing to working with him in a new role in Telenor Group,” says Sigve Brekke.
Uninor has also appointed a new Chief Marketing Officer. Mr. Upanga Dutta has significant operational experience from Uninor, coming from the role as Senior Vice President and head of Uninor’s largest circle, Uttar Pradesh East. Previously, he was responsible for the launch of Uninor’s services in Mumbai
where the company climbed to become the 5th largest in the circle. Prior to joining Uninor in 2009, Mr. Dutta worked for Idea, Bharti Airtel and Carrier Aircon. He received his MBA in Marketing from Narsee Monjee Institute and his Bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the Delhi College of Engineering.
Tor Odland
Head of Communications
Telenor Group region Asia
+65 9777 4782
tor.odland@telenor.com
“Grameenphone and Uninor are currently experiencing significant market growth and they are both delivering on the strategic ambition of Internet for All. Combined, the two companies represent nearly 90 million mobile customers. Grameenphone is an undisputed market leader in Bangladesh and Uninor continues to capture market share in India. With these executive changes, Telenor aims to stimulate further growth and strengthen our position with customers in these markets,” says Sigve Brekke, Executive Vice President and Head of Telenor in Asia.
Grameenphone’s Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Rajeev Sethi as its new CEO. He has served as CMO in Uninor for nearly two years. Prior to that, Mr. Sethi spent more than three years as the head of Uninor’s Uttar Pradesh East circle. He has significant ICT industry experience, including executive engagements in companies such as Vodafone, HP, Hutchison Telecom and Asian Paints. Mr. Sethi received an MBA in Marketing, Finance and Operations from the Indian Institute of Management in Lucknow.
Download picture of Rajeev Sethi
Uninor’s Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Vivek Sood as its new CEO. He comes from the position as CEO in Grameenphone, Bangladesh’s largest mobile operator. During his tenure of nearly two years, Grameenphone has significantly strengthened its market position and financial strength. Recently, Grameenphone crossed the 50 million customer milestone, as the first operation in Telenor Group. Mr. Sood was previously Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in Uninor and has more than 20 years of experience with executive roles in companies such as Tata AIG Life Insurance, Hutchison Telecom, Tupperware India and Hindustan Lever Limited (Unilever).
“With Vivek Sood at the helm of Grameenphone, the company has taken a significant step forward in terms of growth and financial strength. As the largest mobile operator in Bangladesh, Grameenphone has capitalized on its strong position with customers and the business community to roll out a nationwide 3G network and internet-based services that truly delivers on the strategic ambition of Internet for All. On behalf of Telenor Group, I would like to thank Vivek for nearly two years of formidable execution and wish him all the best in his new role at Uninor,” says Sigve Brekke.
Download picture of Vivek Sood
“I would like to express Telenor Group’s gratitude to Morten Karlsen Sørby, who has served as Uninor’s CEO since January 2014. During this period, Uninor has continued to carve out its position in the competitive market for mobile services in India. Today, the company ranks as the 4th largest mobile operator in many of its circles. Morten has, along with his team, strengthened the “Sabse sasta” (best on value) promise to our customers by making affordable data services available to the mass market. We respect his decision to steps down in order to take care of his immediate family, who is based in Sweden, and look forward to continuing to working with him in a new role in Telenor Group,” says Sigve Brekke.
Uninor has also appointed a new Chief Marketing Officer. Mr. Upanga Dutta has significant operational experience from Uninor, coming from the role as Senior Vice President and head of Uninor’s largest circle, Uttar Pradesh East. Previously, he was responsible for the launch of Uninor’s services in Mumbai
where the company climbed to become the 5th largest in the circle. Prior to joining Uninor in 2009, Mr. Dutta worked for Idea, Bharti Airtel and Carrier Aircon. He received his MBA in Marketing from Narsee Monjee Institute and his Bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the Delhi College of Engineering.
Press contact
Tor Odland
Head of Communications
Telenor Group region Asia
+65 9777 4782
tor.odland@telenor.com