The Group CTIO, perhaps the best known face in European telecoms, will leave at the end of March and be succeeded by Andrea Folgueiras, currently Telefónica’s CTIO in Latin America
Enrique Blanco, perhaps the best-known and most popular exec in European telecoms, took to LinkedIn to announce his retirement. He is leaving the post of Global CTIO at Telefónica, which he has held for more than 11 years.
Blanco has spent his entire career (40 years) at the Spanish incumbent which he describes as “My house”. He will retire at the end of March next year and the position will be filled by Andrea Folgueiras, who currently is CTIO of Latin America. Blanco wrote, “She will take Telefonica to a higher level.” She certainly has big shoes to fill.
In 2023, Global Data described Telefónica as being #1 telco globally in digital capacities. IDC says the group is a “major player” among global providers of communications, infrastructure and digital services, while OMDIA recognised the group as the most advanced European telco in the transition to techco.
He was always generous with his time and spoke at Mobile Europe events and is the only person, so far, to win our CTO of the Year Award twice. You can watch him in full flow in the video below.
Admirable track record
Folgueiras has more than 30 years’ experience in telecoms within the operator, joining Telefónica in Argentina in 1991, becoming CTO there six years later. In 2007, she was made CTO of Telefónica Deutschland, then CTO of Telefónica Brazil in 2013.
Since 2016 she has been CTIO for Telefónica Hispanoamérica, which oversee thes assets and opcos in Latin America – Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Telefónica has thanked Blanco “for his technological leadership in operations and systems during all these years, in which he has set a roadmap in the telco industry that has enabled the group to be a technological benchmark, offering the company’s customers new-generation networks in the main markets”.
She joins the rapidly growing number of women in leadership positions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa’s operator community.