Telenor appoints strategy head Sørby as Uninor CEO

Appointment of the new Uninor CEO comes as the company prepares its strategy for India's spectrum auction, scheduled from Feb 3

Norway-based telecom operators Telenor, which operates under Uninor brand in India, on Wednesday, named Morten Karlsen Sørby as the chief executive officer of Uninor with immediate effect. The appointment is subject to regulatory approval.

Sørby replaces Sigve Brekke, who was serving as an interim CEO of Uninor after Yogesh Malik quit in November last year. Brekke will continue to serve as head of Telenor Group’s Asia operations.

Sørby takes over as the CEO of Uninor at a time when the company has cash-flow break-even in all the six circles where it currently operates.

While the company did not disclose the reason of Malik’s resignation, industry insiders have said that Malik’s resignation was unlikely to have any link with performance.

Norway-based Sørby joined Telenor in 1993 and has been a member of Telenor Group’s executive management team since 2003.

Prior to taking over as the CEO of Uninor, Sørby has served as the executive vice president in charge of corporate strategy and regulatory affairs in Telenor Group. He has also worked as the Executive Vice President and head of the Norwegian and Nordic mobile and fixed network operations of Telenor.

“Uninor enjoys a firm market position in India as a leading mass-market, best-on-value operator. Sørby vast experience from the global mobile industry and solid leadership skills will inject new energy and further insights into the already empowered Uninor team,” said Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President and Chief Executive Officer, Telenor Group.

Sørby said Uninor’s journey has just begun. “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,” he said.

Sørby, who is a Master of Science in Business Administration from the Norwegian School of Economics and a state-authorised public accountant in Norway, has also contributed to the development of Telenor’s operations in India since it entered the world’s second largest population in 2008, according to a company statement.

“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,” he added.

Uninor, which operates in just six circles in India at present, has more than 32 million customers across UP East, UP West, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra & Goa and Gujarat telecom zones.

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