Telenor board chairwoman Gunn Waersted said in reply to a question at its press conference that she had talked to CEO Sigve Brekke in autumn about him resigning, according to a report on newspaper Aftenposten’s website. This follows media reports about Brekke’s time as head of Telenor Asia. Waerstad’s response was to a direct question on the subject, and she said the matter is now closed.
There have been media reports in Norway recently about compliance in Thailand and Bangladesh during the time when Brekke was head of operations in Asia, as well as concerns about proceedings in a third, unspecified country.
Waersted said there had been disagreement among board members regarding Brekke’s position, but no formal vote of confidence had been held. She said the board now backs the CEO.
Brekke himself declined to say whether he had thought Waersted alone in discussing whether he should step down. He said he would not comment and what had been said between them, nor whether the board had discussed the matter.
Asked if she had considered stepping down as chair of the board, Waerstad said the thought had briefly crossed her mind. Both she and Brekke said there had been no personal conflict between them.
