Vodafone chief executive Nick Read will step down at the end of this month after four years in the top job.
Read will leave on December 31 but will remain as an adviser to the board until the end of March, the group said in a statement on Monday.
Margherita Della Valle will take over as interim chief executive as the UK-based telecoms group seeks a permanent replacement. She will remain chief financial officer in the meantime.
“She will accelerate the execution of the Company’s strategy to improve operational performance and deliver shareholder value,” Vodafone said in its statement.
Read led Vodafone through the pandemic, “ensuring that our customers remained connected with their families and businesses”, said Jean-François van Boxmeer, chair of Vodafone.