Telefonica transforms its organisational structure to reinforce its status as global leader in the new digital world

Executive Chairman and CEO of Telefonica, C‚sar Alierta, has laid the foundations for reinforcing the operator’s status as a global player and leader in the digital environment through sweeping changes in its organisation and structure. Telefonica is embarking on a new era with eyes set on the medium and long term future with the aim of reinforcing its growth story, actively participating in the digital world and capturing the most of the opportunities afforded by its global scale and industrial alliances.

The main lines of the new organisational structure, approved today by the Executive Commission of the Board of Directors, are also designed to speed up the decision-making process, and to balance and streamline the organisation.

The three main changes in the new organisational structure are as follows:

• The creation of a new business unit, Telefonica Digital, headquartered in London with regional offices in Madrid, Sao Paulo, Silicon Valley and certain strategic hubs in Asia. Its mission will be to bolster Telefonica’s place in the digital world and leverage any growth opportunities arising in this environment, driving innovation, strengthening the product and service portfolio and maximising the advantages of its large customer base. This unit will comprise 2,500 highly skilled professionals from Telefonica’s New Global Services Unit (vertical businesses), Terra, Tuenti, Jajah, Telefonica R+D and Media Networks, among others. Heading up this unit will be Mathew Key, who until now was in charge of Telefonica Europe.

• The streamlining and balancing of the business’ geographical mix based on stages of market development, leading to the configuration of two large blocks, Europe and Latin America. Operations in Spain will be included in Europe. Jos‚ Mar¡a Alvarez-Pallete, head of Telefonica Latin America until now, will oversee Europe, while Santiago Fernandez Valbuena, previously General Manager of Strategy, Finance and Corporate Development, will be in charge of Latin America. This change entails the addition of ‘ngel Vil  to the Executive Committee as Head of Finance and Corporate Development.

• The creation of a Global Resources operating unit designed to ensure the profitability and sustainability of the business by leveraging and unlocking economies of scale, as well as driving Telefonica’s transformation into a fully global company. This unit will be overseen by Guillermo Ansaldo, until now the head of Telefonica Spain.

The new organisational structure will revolve around a nine-member Executive Committee, backed by a Transformation Committee composed of the company’s senior managers. This structure stems from months of strategic debate lead by Telefonica’s Executive Chairman and with the participation of the company’s senior executives. As a result of this process, the company has laid down new goals which following today’s approval by the Executive Commission of the Board of Directors, have effectively translated into the new structure around which Telefonica’s strategy and medium-term goals will pivot.