PayPal co-founder to leave Meta board; Swisscom names new CEO

S&P Global Market Intelligence presents a weekly rundown of executive and board changes in the technology, media and communications industries.

Top News

* PayPal Holdings Inc. co-founder Peter Thiel decided not to stand for reelection to Meta Platforms Inc.'s board at the company's 2022 annual shareholder meeting. Thiel joined the board in 2005.

* Swisscom AG tapped Christoph Aeschlimann to be its new CEO, effective June 1, Dow Jones Newswires reported. Aeschlimann will succeed Urs Schaeppi.

The Americas

* VMware Inc. appointed Laura Heisman as chief marketing officer and Sylvain Cazard as general manager for the Asia-Pacific and Japan region. Heisman was most recently vice president of communications and corporate marketing at GitHub Inc.

* Cerence Inc. CFO Mark Gallenberger will retire March 11 but will stay with the company through mid-November in an advisory role to ensure a smooth transition. The software company appointed Mitch Cohen to be interim CFO while the company searches for Gallenberger's replacement.

* 8x8 Inc. named Chief Technology and Product Officer Dejan Deklich as the company's chief innovation officer. Chief Product Officer Hunter Middleton will assume Deklich's previous responsibilities.

* FuboTV Inc. appointed former Tegna Inc. executive John Janedis as the streaming company's new CFO. Janedis replaced Simone Nardi, who will pursue new opportunities outside the company.

* Stephen Kowal joined Nextivity Inc.'s leadership team as chief commercial officer. Kowal most recently worked for communications equipment company CommScope Holding Co. Inc., and held senior leadership roles including senior vice president of enterprise sales.

Europe, Middle East and Africa

* Telecom Italia SpA appointed Claudio Ongaro head of the chief strategy and business development office, with Simone De Rose as head of the procurement function.

* Italian telecom infrastructure operator Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane SpA, or INWIT, created a new technology and operations department, to be temporarily led by CEO Giovanni Ferigo, as part of a restructure. INWIT's board also confirmed Diego Galli as CFO and head of administration, finance and control, with Gabriele Abbagnara as head of marketing and sales.

* ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE Chief Sustainability Officer Annette Kuemmel will leave the company March 1, Telecompaper reported, citing a statement.

* Claus Wamsler-Nielsen will join Storytel AB as COO, while Chief Commercial Officer Ingrid Bojner will also take on the responsibilities of deputy CEO.

* Finland-based IT solutions company Tecnotree Oyj appointed Leena Koskelainen as COO.

* Trond K. Johannessen will become CEO of Norway's Pexip Holding ASA, starting in May.

* U.K. software company Eleco PLC appointed Rose Clark as interim CFO following the resignation of Robert Tearle from the position, effective immediately, Dow Jones Newswires reported.

* Jane Millichip will step down as chief content officer of Sky Ltd. unit Sky Studios Ltd., Variety reported, citing an internal memo. Comcast Corp. owns Sky.

* Arm Ltd.'s board of directors named Rene Haas as its next CEO, effective immediately. Haas succeeded Simon Segars. The appointment came amid the termination of Nvidia Corp.'s planned acquisition of Arm from SoftBank Group Corp.

* Public broadcaster Channel 4 (UK) named Naomi Sesay head of creative diversity.

Asia-Pacific

* Marcelo Claure leave SoftBank after a nine-year stint with the company. Claure is currently corporate officer, executive vice president and COO of SoftBank as well as CEO of subsidiary SoftBank Group International. Michel Combes will replace Claure as SoftBank Group International's CEO.

* Telecom operator Ooredoo appointed Khalid Hassan Al-Hamadi CEO of its unit Ooredoo Maldives PLC, effective Feb. 1. Al-Hamadi replaced Najib Khan, who is transferring to the Ooredoo group.

* Beck Tong Hong resigned as CEO and an executive director of Nera Telecommunications Ltd. The telecom systems and products provider appointed Chong Hoi Ming to replace Beck, effective Feb. 7.

* Australian smart technology services provider Orcoda Ltd. named Samuel Yue CFO, effective Feb. 21.

* Mark Callander will become CEO of 2degrees, the entity resulting from the proposed merger between New Zealand-based mobile operator Two Degrees Mobile Ltd. and broadband company Orcon Group. The transaction remains subject to regulatory and other approvals.

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