What’s up with… Telefónica, Liberty Global, Vodafone

• Telefónica names new top table execs 
• Liberty Global appoints new head of networks
• Vodafone completes acquisition of cloud services specialist

In today’s industry news roundup: Telefónica has a new head of finance and corporate development as well as a new head of strategy; Telenet’s CTO moves to the Belgian operator’s parent company; Vodafone has swiftly completed the acquisition of German cloud services outfit Skaylink; and more!

At Telefónica, CEO Marc Murta continues to revamp his executive committee to align it with his recently unveiled new corporate strategy. The Spanish telco has appointed Juan Azcue as chief financial and corporate development officer and Ernesto Gardelliano as chief strategy and control officer. “The unification of the finance function and corporate development under the responsibility of Juan Azcue will allow [the company] to face the upcoming challenges with a more global and cohesive vision,” noted the telco in this announcement. Azcue, who has been a member of Telefónica’s executive committee since the start of this year – just before Murta was unexpectedly appointed as CEO in late January – “has extensive experience in M&A transactions for more than 20 years,” noted the operator: He’ll be busy, then, as Telefónica is currently engaged in M&A discussions in all four of its main markets – Spain, Germany, the UK and Brazil. As a result of Azcue’s appointment, current CFO Laura Abasolo will leave the operator at the end of this year. The creation of Gardelliano’s role also represents “a further step in operational simplification, uniting strategic planning and operational monitoring in the same responsibility,” noted the telco. Gardelliano has been with Telefónica in a number of different roles around the group for more than 30 years. As part of the revamp, Telefónica has “reinforced” the role of chief operating officer (COO) Emilio Gayo, who was appointed to that role in March 2025: The COO role role now integrates the “functions of purchasing and supply chain and alliances and devices, as drivers of transformation and efficiency.” The telco concluded: “With these changes, Telefónica reinforces its commitment to excellence and innovation, evolving its operating model to ensure the success of the ‘Transform & Grow’ strategic plan presented in November. This transformation responds to the need to anticipate the challenges of the sector and consolidate the company’s global leadership.”

Part of Murta’s shakeup at Telefónica involves job cuts: By late November, the number of the telco’s staff in Spain expected to be laid off totalled more than 6,000, about a quarter of its total workforce in the country. Now, though, the number has been reduced to about 4,500 with the reductions to be fully voluntary, reports Reuters.  

News of executive responsibility changes aren’t limited to the giant Spanish telco… Liberty Global, which is Telefónica’s joint venture partner at UK telco Virgin Media O2 (VMO2), has appointed Luk Bruynseels as its managing director of networks and capital allocation with effect from 1 March 2026. Bruynseels, who will be responsible for fixed and mobile networks and relevant capital allocations at Liberty Global, is currently CTO at Belgian operator Telenet, which is part of the Liberty Global portfolio. It’s unclear as yet whether the appointment of Bruynseels will impact any current roles at Liberty Global: The operator had not respondent to TelecomTV’s questions as this article was published. “We are particularly proud that talent from our organization can grow within the Liberty Global ecosystem,” stated Telenet CEO John Porter. “Luk has played a critical role in strengthening our local networks and improving the customer experience for our brands over the past 16 years. His move to Liberty Global is testimony to his expertise and a strengthening of our collaboration.” During his 16 years at Telenet, Bruynseels has been responsible for the “successful integration of the BASE mobile network, large-scale network upgrades and the implementation of an agile working model,” noted the Belgian operator in this announcement, adding that it now needs to start the hunt for a new CTO!

Vodafone Group has completed the €175m acquisition of German cloud, digital transformation and security specialist Skaylink, a move that will beef up the pan-European telco’s enterprise services portfolio, particularly in Germany (its biggest single market). The acquisition was initially announced at the end of October. Skaylink has about 500 staff that are “recognised experts at managing cloud deployments and migrations across Microsoft and Amazon Web Services environments and implementing AI solutions for business customers,” Vodafone noted in October. The telco added at the time: “The transaction is part of Vodafone Business’s ambition to accelerate growth in key areas such as security, managed services and cloud.” 

Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper), the low-earth orbit satellite constellation being built by the big tech giant, now has 180 satellites in orbit following the successful addition of 27 Amazon Leo spacecraft into orbit on 16 December, reports Space.com.

– The staff, TelecomTV