Telenor appoints Uninor CEO

Norwegian group Telenor has named a CEO for its Indian subsidiary Uninor following the resignation of former CEO Yogesh Malik in November last year.

Morten Karlsen Sørby will take on the role effective immediately. Sørby joined Telenor in 1993 and has been a member of the Telenor’s group executive management team since 2003.

He most recently served as the group’s EVP in charge of corporate strategy and regulatory affairs and before that was EVP and head of the Norwegian and Nordic mobile and fixed network operations of Telenor.

His predecessor Malik resigned from his position last year citing personal reasons. Sigve Brekke, currently head of majority owner Telenor Group’s Asia operations, has been acting as interim CEO since then. Brekke will continue his previous role as EVP and head of Telenor Group’s Asia Operations.

“We will continue to build on the company’s competitive spirit and innovation skills to capture new ground, both in basic services and by providing affordable internet services to the masses,” said Sørby.

“The strategy is clear and our model is proven. My job will be to deliver on this strategy alongside the management team and every single Uninor employee. I have actively contributed to the development of our India operations since we first entered in 2008, and now I look forward to joining the remarkable Uninor organization.”

Sørby’s appointment as CEO is subject to regulatory approvals.

Last October, Uninor declared its financial results for the quarter which showed a 23 per cent year on year improvement in revenue growth in the six circles it operates in. It broke even during the quarter in five of those six circles. ARPU stood at Rs.100 while churn was five per cent.