Vodafone names external affairs chief

Joakim Reiter

Vodafone has named Joakim Reiter as group external affairs director, reporting to CEO Vittorio Colao.

Reiter will take up his role and join the group executive committee on August 1 after serving from next month for a transitional period as director-designate. He will succeed Matthew Kirk, who is to retire in July and has agreed to continue to work with Vodafone in an advisory capacity.

Reiter was until recently an assistant secretary-general of the United Nations and the deputy secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Previous roles include deputy director-general of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden’s Ambassador to the World Trade Organization, head of the trade section within the Swedish Representative Office to the European Union and an EU negotiator with DG Trade at the European Commission.

Colao said: “Joakim has extensive experience of multilateral trade negotiation and diplomatic and political engagement at the highest levels. We are delighted to welcome him to Vodafone. Matthew is a greatly valued and trusted colleague who has made an enormous contribution to the Group. He will stand down from the group executive committee with our professional gratitude and personal friendship.”