Telecom Italia (TIM) has appointed Amos Genish as its new Chief Executive Officer two months after he was named general manager for operations. A former Israeli army captain, Genish previously headed Vivo, the Brazilian unit of Spain’s Telefonica, a position he took following the merger of Vivo and broadband operator GVT, before being named Vivendi’s chief convergence officer. The appointment is seen as a further sign of the French media giant’s influence over TIM, where it’s the leading shareholder via a 24 percent stake and two-thirds of the company’s board.
The operator’s previous chief executive, Flavio Cattaneo, left at the end of July following clashes with Vivendi and the Italian government over plans to build rural fibre-optic networks in rural areas in competition with the state's own programme to connect under-served areas. Genish, who is TIM’s third CEO in less than two years, will be expected to improve relations with the Italian state even though Vivendi is facing a heavy fine for allegedly failing to notify Rome of its effective control of the operator.
In a statement released after the operator’s board confirmed Genish’s appointment, the company’s executive chairman Arnaud de Puyfontaine said: “TIM must have a constructive collaboration with the institutions and regulators,” adding that “creating value for TIM means creating value for the country.”The board also announced that TIM’s current deputy chairman Giuseppe Recchi will have organisational responsibility for the operator’s Security Department, responsible, including key assets such as international operator Sparkle and ICT subsidiary Telsy.
