Three Ireland chief executive Robert Finnegan is leaving the Irish business after almost 20 years at the helm.
Mr Finnegan, who has led the company since it was established in 2005 is moving to a global role. He has been appointed deputy chairman of CK Hutchison Telecoms Group, where he will help manage the company’s global telecoms interests.
Three Ireland has appointed Elaine Carey, the current chief commercial officer of Three Ireland and Three UK in his place. However, it is for Three Ireland only, with the UK role still in question.
Ms Carey will formally take up the role in the second quarter of the year.
“I am extremely proud of everything achieved by Three Ireland in the last 20 years,” Mr Finnegan said. “Under Elaine’s leadership, I am confident that Three Ireland will continue to thrive and evolve as the business moves forward. I wish her the very best of luck.”
In her current role, Ms Carey leads the products and propositions portfolio, overseeing customer care teams, Three’s retail and ecommerce business, and digital and brand marketing, including Three’s sponsorships of 3Arena and 3Olympia.
She joined the company in 2007 as Three’s head of retail, and held several roles in the company before being appointed chief commercial officer in 2013.
“I look forward to driving continued success for our business as number one in the market, build on our position as Ireland’s fastest 5G network, while continuing to bring the very best experience for our customers,” she said.
Mr Finnegan has overseen the growth of Three Ireland from a new entrant to the market to a major player in the mobile industry here.
Three Ireland bought rival network O2’s business in a deal that was concluded in 2014. That put Three Ireland in the top position in the Irish mobile market.
The most recent figures from ComReg put Three’s market share at 48 per cent in the third quarter of the year, including mobile broadband connections and machine-to-machine subscriptions.
