Anne O'Leary. Image: Meta
Soon to lead a large sales team at Meta, Anne O’Leary is leaving Vodafone Ireland after 14 years.
Anne O’Leary, a household name in Irish business as CEO of Vodafone Ireland, is joining Meta as its new vice-president of the mid-market business division for the EMEA region.
O’Leary will join Meta in September, where she will also be a key member of the Facebook parent company’s site leadership team in Ireland.
Having joined Vodafone Ireland in 2008 as its business and enterprise director, O’Leary quickly rose through the ranks to become chief executive officer of the telecoms company’s Irish operation in 2013.
At Vodafone, she oversaw the nationwide roll-out of 4G and, most recently, 5G. A statement from Meta noted that O’Leary has been driving the digital society agenda in Ireland for many years and believes that equality of access to connectivity will “change how everyone in Ireland lives, works and plays for the better”.
“After 14 wonderful years at Vodafone, I am hugely excited to start a new chapter working with the Meta team,” said O’Leary, who has been a strong advocate for inclusivity at the workplace while at the helm of Vodafone Ireland.
“In an ever more competitive digital economy, I look forward to connecting with, and supporting, small and medium businesses across Europe, Middle East and Africa to evolve with digital change, embrace transformation and the tools that will help them to grow and scale their businesses across the world.”
O’Leary will lead a large and diverse sales team at Meta, focusing on helping businesses accelerate their digital transformation efforts and embrace opportunities provided by Meta platforms such as messaging, short-form video and new possibilities relating to the metaverse.
“I’m thrilled to welcome a leader of Anne’s calibre and experience to the Meta team,” said Meta VP of Global Business Group for EMEA, Angie Gifford.
“She joins us at an exciting time as we continue to expand our business tools across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and as we create new opportunities for businesses in VR and the metaverse.”
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