Robi Axiata CEO and MD Mahtab Uddin Ahmed (pictured) decided against renewing his tenure at the Bangladeshi operator, with the unit’s CFO taking the reins with immediate effect.

In a statement, Robi explained Ahmed’s contract officially terminates on 31 October, but he decided to take the period as annual leave. It added the role of acting CEO to CFO Riyaaz Rasheed’s remit effective yesterday (5 August).

The company thanked the outgoing CEO for taking it “to the dizzying height of success” by reaching a “leadership position” in 4G, acting on innovative digital initiatives and closing 2020 with the biggest IPO in the country within the past decade, reportedly raising $62 million.

Ahmed served as Robi’s chief for five years. In a Facebook post, he commented the team he worked with brought the company “from its low-end to a respectable position” through an integration with Bharti Airtel and 4G rollouts, among other strategies.

GSMA Intelligence estimated Robi had 53 million mobile connections, excluding IoT, at end-Q2, placing it in second place behind Grameenphone on 82 million.