Vodafone to slash 11,000 jobs in new CEO’s turnaround plan

Vodafone Group’s new chief executive officer Margherita Della Valle said earnings this year will be largely flat as the company slashes jobs and simplifies its corporate structure.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation after leases are expected to be EUR13.3bn ($14.5bn) in the year ending in March, the Newbury, England based company said in a statement on Tuesday.

The company said it will cut 11,000 jobs, work to turn around its German business and start a “strategic review” in Spain.

Della Valle, a longtime Vodafone veteran who previously served as chief financial officer and interim CEO before she was made permanent in the top role last month, is charged with turning around the company which has suffered from a lagging share price and difficulty consolidating its sprawling global operations.

In the statement, she said she would reallocate resources to focus on the “quality service our customers expect” and grow the Vodafone Business unit.

“Our performance has not been good enough. To consistently deliver, Vodafone must change,” she said in the statement.

“My priorities are customers, simplicity and growth. We will simplify our organisation, cutting out complexity to regain our competitiveness.”

She must also grapple with a suite of new shareholders from the telecom industry, some of whom are becoming more vocal about their desire to influence the direction of the company.

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