Business Watch: Voda UK's fifth boss in five years

What must Vodafone’s UK staff be thinking?

The Newbury crew is about to get its fifth new boss in as many years thanks to yet another management shake-up.

Such relentless change at the top surely can’t be great for morale, given UK employees now have to prove themselves to another boss – all over again.

That boss is now Guy Laurence, currently chief executive of Vodafone Netherlands, who is preparing to take the same role at the much larger UK business.

That said, at least Laurence’s appointment shows Vodafone’s new group chief executive Vittorio Colao is keen to promote internally.

In that sense, his appointment may come as a relief to long-term Vodafone staff who, earlier this month, saw company veteran Paul Donovan reveal his decision to depart the group just as Colao set out his shake up plans.

They also saw an outsider, Michel Combes – formerly of Orange parent France Telecom – appointed as chief executive of Vodafone Europe.

So who is Guy Laurence?

Full article only in Mobile News issue 424 (October 6, 2008).

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