Telecom Italia Names New LatAm Head

Italian telecoms operator Telecom Italia has named a new head for the company's Latin American operations, ending a stopgap appointment, the company said in a statement.

Giancarlo Rocco di Torrepadula, who is the president of Pirelli, has been appointed to head TI's operations in Latin America.

Torrepadula will replace Giorgio Della Seta who was a "stopgap" measure following Paolo Dal Pino's departure in November 2005, a Telecom Italia spokesperson in Brazil told BNamericas.

Over the last two years, TI has offloaded assets in the region such as Entel Chile and Digitel in Venezuela with the operator's Brazilian units fast becoming its key components in Latin America.

This is a change in position although nothing has changed in the strategy, the spokesperson added. There will be no change in management at TI's mobile unit TIM in Brazil.

TIM Brasil is TI's driving force in Brazil but the group also retains a stake in the country's third largest fixed line operator Brasil Telecom (BrT). In the past there has been friction between TI and BrT shareholders who were keen for BrT to launch a mobile unit, which conflicted with TI's interest in TIM Brasil.

In April 2005, Telecom Italia and BrT management reached an agreement to merge but this was put on hold as BrT went through a management switch. The new BrT board finally rejected the merger earlier this year.

BrT chief financial officer Charles Putz later added in May that a merger between BrT and TIM Brasil is still a possibility but under different conditions compared to those outlined in the April 2005 plan.

BNAmericas.com"

Posted to the site on 20th July 2006