The job’s not everything
The head of the UK's biggest mobile phone operator has resigned. Tom Alexander was formerly the UK CEO of Orange, and was made the boss of Everything Everywhere after it was formed from the merger of the Orange and T-Mobile UK operations.
Today it was announced that Alexander had "resigned for personal reasons and to pursue other interests." It's hard for anyone, let alone a business journalist, to read such a statement without wondering if there's more to the situation than that. There hasn't been much initial gossip, but the Guardian reckons France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom has grown frustrated at the pace of change at EE.
Alexander will be replaced by France Telecom man Olaf Swantee, who is currently VP of European operations outside of France. He also has HP and Compaq on his CV, or should we say résumé?
"There is never an easy time to leave a company that you care deeply for but, for personal reasons, I feel now is a good moment to step back," said Alexander. "I am delighted to welcome Olaf into his new role. Olaf will be an excellent CEO and leader for Everything Everywhere moving forward."
"Olaf Swantee has a deep knowledge of Everything Everywhere's business and has been a director on the board of the company since its very beginning, and is ideally placed to provide both continuity and progression," said Tim Höttges, chairman of Everything Everywhere's board. "He has the strong support of both parent companies, with his extensive European-wide mobile experience, and was recently instrumental in the forming of the Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom Global Procurement Alliance."
