Dave Dyson is to step down as CEO of Three UK; Robert Finnegan, CEO of Three Ireland, will assume the role for the UK too from 30 March.
Although ending his nine years as CEO of Three UK, Dyson will continue in all his current board roles and as a senior executive resource to Three’s parent company CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings.
Dyson said he was leaving for personal reasons. In December, Graham Baxter left Three UK, after working there for more than 15 years, as CTO then COO.
European alignment
CK Hutchison Group Telecom said in a statement that one of its core objectives has been to move progressively towards a greater alignment of Three Group Europe’s businesses and platforms.
It added that with the merger between Three and O2 in Ireland nearly completed, and the opportunity to appoint a new CEO of Three UK, now is the time to take the next step towards greater alignment.
As CEO of both Three Ireland and Three UK, Finnegan will have a mandate across both businesses, which is expected “to accelerate meaningful growth opportunities”.
He has been Three Ireland’s CEO since the company’s launch in 2005, during which time its market share has grown from 1% to 36%. Three Ireland has also completed IT and network consolidation programmes, transforming the business into the largest data network in Ireland and carrying more than all other operators combined.
The Three businesses in the UK and Ireland have invested heavily in business transformations with a focus on strengthening their networks and a complete refresh of their IT systems, as well as related business processes to become more competitive modern digital businesses.
Competitive advantages
Canning Fok, Managing Director of CKHGT, said, “We are always looking to create competitive advantages that support our growth aspirations. 5G is an exciting opportunity for both businesses and it’s a good time to pool our resources across the UK and Ireland to do that.
“I would like to thank David for his significant contribution as the CEO of Three UK and I look forward to continuing to work with him both in his Board roles and as a senior executive resource to CKHGT going forward.”
Robert Finnegan, CEO of Three Ireland, said: “With the integration of the Three and O2 business in Ireland largely complete, we now have a solid platform to look at the next phase of our development. Collaborating more and progressively aligning operations and platforms with Three UK is an obvious opportunity and I am excited to be taking on this challenge as the CEO of both operations.”