Telenor launches a Nordic Hub to stimulate growth across its Nordic markets

A lean team in Telenor’s new Nordic Hub will work to strengthen key areas, such as 5G, IoT, and the business and SME segment, across the company’s Nordic markets.

26 May 2020 - EVP Jukka Leinonen will continue is his roles as Head of Nordics and CEO of DNA in Finland. Jesper Hansen, current CEO of Telenor Denmark, will join as the Nordic Hub’s Chief Operating Officer, effective 1 August.

“With a strong presence in the four Nordic markets, we are pursuing further growth opportunities across the region, through best-practice sharing, resource pooling and scaling of innovative products and solutions. This will increase customer value and improve the overall quality, service and experience in all Nordic markets,” says Jukka Leinonen, Head of the Nordics.

Working closely with the company’s Nordic CEOs, the Nordic Hub team will facilitate greater collaboration across the region, fostering growth and competitiveness.

“With Jukka at the helm of this united and collaborative force, we are well-positioned as a strong Nordic telco competitor. We recently merged our clusters in Asia (creating Asia Unit) as well as established a new Asia Hub (1 May 2020), with Jørgen C. Arentz Rostrup as Head of Asia. These steps help to ensure that we are fit for the future, ready to uncover new growth, and at all times keeping our increasingly advanced customers connected to what matters most,” says Sigve Brekke, President & CEO for Telenor Group.

Key organisational details

• Jukka Leinonen will continue to represent Nordics on Telenor’s Group Executive Management team.
• Jesper Hansen, current CEO of Telenor Denmark, will join the Nordic Hub as its Chief Operating Officer, effective 1 August.
• Hansen will be succeeded by Lars Thomsen (Acting Head of Commercial & Strategy), who will step down from Telenor’s Group Executive Management team to take on the CEO role in his native country, Denmark.
• Anne Kvam, Head of Corporate Affairs, also steps out of Telenor’s Group Executive Management team. She will take on the responsibility to launch Telenor Group’s strategy and platform for achieving its climate ambitions, announced at the Capital Market Day in March.

“We will modify the Group Executive Management structure for Telenor, effective 1 June, in order to reflect a focused and streamlined organisation, designed to support our strategic ambitions for growth, modernisation and responsible business,” adds Brekke. “With these changes, we will have 43 percent women in the executive management, exceeding our 35 percent target, as well as three nationalities. We will continue working on increased diversity in all levels of our organisation, and this is another step in the right direction.”

The Group Executive Management (as of 1 June 2020) will include:

• Sigve Brekke – President & CEO
• Tone H. Bachke – EVP, Chief Financial Officer
• Cecilie B. Heuch – EVP, Chief People & Sustainability Officer
• Ruza Sabanovic – EVP, Chief Technology Officer
• Jørgen C. Arentz Rostrup – EVP, Head of Asia
• Jukka Leinonen – EVP, Head of Nordics
• Petter Børre Furberg – EVP, CEO of Telenor Norway