Vodafone Australia taps Romania for new CEO

Over a month since Bill Morrow announced that he would leave Vodafone Australia two thirds of the way through its recovery to take the helm of the government-owned entity charged with rolling out the National Broadband Network, NBN Co, Vodafone has announced that Vodafone Romania's CEO Inaki Berroeta will start as the company's new CEO in March.

Berroeta will come to Vodafone after working as the CEO and president of Romania since 2010, where Vodafone said he improved profitability for the company and helped launch the country's first long-term evolution (LTE) services.

He will join Vodafone in a time when Morrow said he expects the company to be returning to growth after two years of losses, and the churn of millions of customers to its rivals Telstra and Optus.

Prior to Romania, Berroeta headed up Vodafone Malta in 2007, and has had more than 20 years in the telecommunications industry.

In a statement, Morrow said that Berroeta's experience in the Vodafone group would help ensure a smooth transition as Morrow moves to NBN Co.

"Inaki is a great fit for the local team, and his diverse background places him well to take Vodafone through to the next phase of its three-year turnaround. His appointment demonstrates Vodafone Group's and Hutchison Whampoa's commitment to developing talent globally and to putting the right people in the right places," Morrow said in a statement.

In deciding to leave Vodafone to join NBN Co in order to be able to "leave a legacy", Morrow said that he is leaving Vodafone at a good time for the company.

"Vodafone Australia is in a position where it has some stability to it," he said.

"When you look at the platform that has been laid by the employees, by the current management team, it's a good time to move on to some other interests [of mine]."