LONDON-Following on a promise he made earlier this year, Vodafone Group plc chairman and former RCR Wireless News Person of the Year Christopher Gent said he would retire from the world’s largest wireless company on July 30 immediately following Vodafone’s annual general meeting.
Vodafone announced that Arun Sarin, who is currently chief executive of San Francisco-based Accel-KKR Telecom and non-executive director at Vodafone, Charles Schwab Corp., Cisco Systems and Gap Inc., would replace Gent as head of Vodafone. Sarin was formerly president and chief operating officer of AirTouch Communications until 1999 and then was named chief executive of the Americas and Asia Region of Vodafone until 2000, when Vodafone’s U.S. operations were merged to form Verizon Wireless Inc.
Sarin is expected to step down from most of the boards he currently serves on and relocate to Vodafone’s headquarters in the United Kingdom.
“This appointment is part of a carefully orchestrated succession plan which I have put in place at Vodafone,” said Lord MacLaurin, chairman of Vodafone. “Chris has contributed a huge amount of time and energy to the company, and it is a testament to his achievements that Vodafone is now positioned as the global leader in mobile communications. Chris will continue to lead Vodafone until July next year.
“I am delighted that Arun Sarin has made the commitment to take the group forward to the next phase of growth, and that we have identified an individual with the ability, stature and knowledge of Vodafone which make him the ideal person for the role.”
