Nick Read has agreed with the Vodafone Board that he will step down as Group Chief Executive and as a Director on 31st December 2022.
Margherita Della Valle will fill the role to improve operational performance and deliver shareholder value. She will continue as Group Chief Financial Officer.
The Board has initiated a process to find a permanent replacement.
Read will be available as an adviser to the Board until 31 March 2023
He said: “I agreed with the Board that now is the right moment to hand over to a new leader who can build on Vodafone’s strengths and capture the significant opportunities ahead”.
Jean-François van Boxmeer, Chairman of Vodafone, added: “During his four years as CEO, Read led Vodafone through the pandemic.
“He has focused Vodafone in Europe and Africa as a converged connectivity provider and led the industry in Europe in unlocking value from tower infrastructure.”