Vodafone Group PLC (LSE:VOD) has appointed interim chief executive Margherita Della Valle as full-time boss after months of speculation.
Della Valle took over as acting chief executive on January 1, after the abrupt farewell of Nick Read in December.
She will now take on the role full-time, according to a company statement, following pressure from the FTSE 100-listed telecoms firm’s investors to appoint someone before full-year results are released on May 16.
Della Valle served as Vodafone’s chief financial officer from 2018 until her appointment as interim boss, having worked at the company since 1994, and will continue in the role until a replacement is found
"Vodafone has a unique position in Europe and Africa with strong customer relationships, networks and people," Della Valle said.
"To realise our potential Vodafone needs to change. We know we can do better. My focus will be to improve the service for our customers, simplify our business and grow."
Vodafone shares rose following the news, climbing 1.5% to 95.7p.