The chief executive of Vodafone Ireland Teresa Elder (pictured) said yesterday that she is to resign from the position at the end of this year for personal reasons after two years in the job.
Vodafone, which is Ireland’s largest telecoms operator, said that a process has commenced to appoint a successor.
The company explained that Elder has a son who suffers from cystic fibrosis. He was recently hospitalised in the US and Elder and her husband have decided to return to the US to help him remain as healthy as possible.
“Clearly I am sad to be leaving what has been a fantastic opportunity for me with Vodafone,” Elder said.
“The Irish mobile market is one of the most exciting in Europe and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here as we have brought leading-edge services to our customers. It has been a great privilege to work with the talented and committed people in Vodafone.
“However, it is very important for me to be back in the US and I would like to thank the company for the support they have shown me in reaching this decision,” Elder added.
Elder took up the position of chief executive of Vodafone Ireland in December 2004.
During her time at Vodafone Ireland, Elder witnessed the Irish market reach 102pc penetration, 3G mobile become a reality and set in motion plans to introduce high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) to the Irish market later this year.
Vodafone Group chief executive Arun Sarin thanked Elder for the work she put in over the past two years.
He said: “The business is in very good shape and Vodafone Ireland has remained the market leader despite an increasingly competitive marketplace.
“It is with sadness that we say farewell to her though we fully understand the reasons for her decision to return to the US,” Sarin said.
By John Kennedy
