Eircom has restructured its management team to right-purpose the company for the challenges it faces in reducing costs and battling regulatory, economic and competitive constraints, the company said today.
CEO Paul Donovan said that Meteor and Eircom Retail operations will be fully integrated in the coming months and the number of customer facing business units will be simplified within the company to Consumer and Small Business, Government and Enterprise and Wholesale.
In recent weeks, Siliconrepublic.com reported that Eircom had instigated a major organisational restructure and plans to embrace a more open approach to wholesale broadband opportunities as well as fibre enable its mobile base stations.
“These changes will better serve our customers and allow us to work more effectively together as one team,” said CEO Paul Donovan. “The group will operate as one company with two very strong brands.
“The regulatory, economic and competitive constraints affecting our revenue growth in both fixed and mobile requires a new approach to how we structure our business as we continue to address our cost base.
“In order for Eircom Group to thrive it must simplify, improve its transparency and accountability and become a more agile and nimble organisation.”
As part of the changes, Stephen Beynon has been appointed group managing director of Consumer and Small Business.
Stephen Beynon’s background
Beynon is an experienced telecoms executive, and most recently served on the management board of Virgin Media in the UK where he led the business division for four years. Earlier in his career, he was CEO of a specialist wholesale telecoms provider, Band X, and has held senior management roles at Optus in Australia and Mercury/Cable & Wireless in the UK. He has extensive experience in both fixed and mobile and across business and consumer markets.
After five and a half years living and working in Ireland, Larry Smith, CEO, Meteor, has decided to return to the States.
Smith led Meteor to significant success, growing mobile customers from a base of 525,000 to almost 1.1 million and positioning the mobile company as the third-largest mobile operator in the market.
A Transition Unit has been established as the company modernises and restructures the business. This will be led by Gerry Culligan, managing director, Transition Unit, who also joins the senior management team. Culligan will also be responsible for Phonewatch and directory enquiries business 11811.
“I would also like to personally thank Larry Smith for his tremendous contribution to our company and for making Meteor the successful and dynamic brand it is today. He will be missed and I wish him all the very best for the future,” Donovan said.
By John Kennedy
Photo: Eircom CEO Paul Donovan
