LONDON-Christopher Gent stepped down as the leader of the world’s largest mobile-phone operator Wednesday after a six-and-a-half-year stint as chief executive.
His tenure overall is viewed as one of the few long-term successes in the mobile industry, as Gent watched many of his counterparts lose their jobs during the recent economic downturn and highly indebted mobile environment. However, Gent also had his critics, who said he was overpaid and too aggressive during his acquisition spree that stretched from the U.S. AirTouch to the German Mannesman AG.
American Arun Sarin will take over the reins at the U.K.-based operator and has said he does not plan to continue the acquisitions that marked Gent’s era.
