JEAN-YVES Charlier, who was appointed to the Digicel Group board in September of last year, has been announced Group chief executive officer of the communications and entertainment provider, with immediate effect.

Charlier’s appointment comes one month after the untimely passing of Digicel Group Chief Executive Officer Alexander Matuschka von Greiffenclau.

A recognised leader in the global telecoms industry, from 2015 to 2018, Charlier served as chief executive officer of VEON and prior to that, he served as chairman and chief Executive of SFR.

“I am delighted to be leading a strong set of communication and entertainment operations serving 14 million customers across 31 markets and to be continuing to work closely with the board and its chairman, Denis O’Brien.

“Over the past few years, Digicel has continued to innovate and make significant investments in new internet and media services across the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific, making an indelible impact, and I am happy to be taking the business forward on these strong foundations,” Jean-Yves said in commenting on his appointment.

In congratulating charlier on his appointment, Digicel group chairman and founder, Denis O’Brien, commented; “Jean-Yves’ exceptional capacity to support continuing growth was reflected in his appointment as executive director some months ago, deepening our executive team and facilitating this succession process. As we continue to build Digicel for the future with the power of digital firmly at the core of our ambitions, Jean-Yves is the natural leader for our business,” he said.

“His impressive track record leading some of the industry’s major providers – coupled with his vision and pragmatism – make him the ideal choice for the next stage of our journey,” O’Brien continued.