81 Vodafone Group Plc Annual Report 2026
Strategic report
Governance
Financials
Other information
Our Executive Committee Biographical details of the Executive Committee, as at 19 May 2026, are provided below.
Margherita Della Valle BD Group Chief Executive Read more about the Group Chief Executive on page 76 Pilar López RC CD SB BD DC AI Group Chief Financial Officer Read more about the Group Chief Financial Officer on page 76 Maaike de Bie DC AI RC CD ER EN Group General Counsel and Company Secretary Read more about the Group General Counsel and Company Secretary on page 76 Ahmed Essam AI SB BD Executive Chairman Vodafone Germany and CEO European Markets Ahmed was appointed Executive Chairman Vodafone Germany and CEO European markets on 1 April 2024, and has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2016. Ahmed has over 20 years of experience in the fields of telecommunications, strategy, financial planning, commercial management and general management. Ahmed joined Vodafone in 1999 and earlier roles include Customer Care Director and Consumer Business Unit Director, Group Management Director for Vodafone’s Africa, Middle East and Asia-Pacific region, and a number of senior roles within Vodafone’s Group Commercial functions. Ahmed has been Group Chief Commercial Operations and Strategy Officer, CEO Europe Cluster and CEO Vodafone UK.
Scott Petty NS AI SB BD ER Group Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Scott joined Vodafone in 2009 and has held positions in Vodafone Business Product Management and Technology before becoming UK CTO in 2017. He has been the Chief Digital & Information Officer since April 2021 as part of a newly created integrated European-wide Technology team to drive the transformation to achieve Vodafone’s ambition to become a next-generation Telco. Previously, Scott held a number of Executive roles at Dimension Data, as Group Executive – Services, Chief Operating Officer – Australia and as Chief Information Officer – Australia. Scott joined the Executive Committee in January 2023. Shameel joined Vodafone in 1994 and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer at Vodacom Group Limited, a position he has held since 2012. He has extensive telco experience having operated at a senior level in various companies across the Group for the last 28 years, including Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Vodacom South Africa and Chief Executive Officer at Vodafone Spain. Shameel holds board positions at Vodacom Group Ltd, Safaricom Plc and Vodafone Egypt Telecommunications S.A.E. He also sits on the board of Business Leadership South Africa and the South African telco industry association. He was appointed to the Executive Committee in April 2020, and is responsible for the overall strategic direction and performance of all its African operations, comprising eight markets. Shameel Joosub CEO Vodacom Group
Guillaume Boutin CD BD ER SB EN CEO Vodafone Investments & Strategy Guillaume was appointed CEO Vodafone Investments & Strategy and as a member of the Executive Committee on 15 May 2025. Guillaume brings extensive strategic, operational and leadership experience to the executive team. Before joining Vodafone, Guillaume was the Chief Executive Officer of the Proximus Group, the leading telecommunications operator in Belgium. He began his career in a web start-up, then joined SFR in 2003 where he held various positions in strategy, finance and marketing, until he joined Canal+ Group in 2015 as Chief Marketing Officer. Joakim Reiter ER RC CD Chief External and Corporate Affairs Officer Joakim, an Executive Committee member since August 2017, is Vodafone’s Chief External and Corporate Affairs Officer, responsible for public relations and corporate affairs, including policy and regulation, communications, security, sustainability and charitable activities. He currently sits on the Board of the Swedish Space Corporation. Before joining Vodafone, Joakim served as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and has also been Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation, served as a Swedish senior diplomat to the EU, a trade negotiator in the European Commission, and has had a longstanding career in the Swedish Foreign Service. Marika Auramo BD SB ER AI CEO Vodafone Business Marika was appointed as CEO of Vodafone Business on 1 July 2024. She brings extensive business-to-business experience with over 25 years in the global IT industry. Marika joined SAP in 1999 and held a diverse set of leadership roles since then, including Chief Operating Officer EMEA North, Managing Director for the Nordic and Baltic region, Global Chief Operating Officer of SAP Database and Data Management in the US, and Interim President of the EMEA region. She previously served as Chief Business Officer for the EMEA region of SAP.
Ruth McGill EN AI RC SB Chief Human Resources Officer Ruth McGill was appointed Chief Human Resources Officer and member of the Executive Committee on 1 January 2026. Ruth has over 25 years’ experience in human resources and change management. She joined Vodafone from ING, having served for more than five years as Chief HR Officer. Prior to ING, she worked in a range of senior HR positions at Standard Chartered Bank, over a 10-year period. Ruth spent her earlier career in HR positions at Norton Healthcare and GSK. Executive Committee changes During the year, the Company announced changes to the composition of the Executive Committee. On 30 June 2025 Serpil Timuray stepped down from the Executive Committee, having been a member since 2014, and left Vodafone to pursue external opportunities. Guillaume Boutin succeeded Serpil Timuray. On 30 November 2025 Luka Mucic stepped down as Chief Financial Officer and member of the Executive Committee and was succeeded by Pilar López. On 1 January 2026, Leanne Wood stepped down as Chief Human Resources Officer and member of the Executive Committee having been a member since 2019 and was succeeded by Ruth McGill. Leanne will continue to represent Vodafone on the Board of Vodacom Group Limited and the Vantage Towers AG Shareholders’ Committee. Since joining Vodafone in 2001, Alberto has held various roles in technology including CTO of Italy, CTO of Europe and Operational Director for Group Technology. Alberto joined the Executive Committee in January 2023 and is responsible for strategy, architecture and design and for operating the Vodafone network in Europe. Alberto Ripepi SB Group Chief Network Officer (CNO)
Committee key DC Disclosure Committee RC Risk and Compliance Committee ER ESG and Reputation Steering Committee AI AI Governance Steering Committee SB Simplicity Board CD Capital Decision Board
BD Business Decision Board NS National Security Committee EN Entities Nominations Committee Committee Chair Member
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