Ericsson named current BT executive Katherine Ainley as its new CEO for the UK and Republic of Ireland from 1 February, succeeding John Griffin, who was acting chief since October 2020.

In a statement, Ericsson said Ainley would join from BT, where she has held a number of senior executive positions since 2007, most recently as MD of ventures in enterprises.

She was also CEO of software unit Tikit, which was wholly-owned by BT until March 2020.

Griffin, meanwhile, will return to his permanent role as country manager for Ericsson Ireland. He was appointed acting CEO following the departure of Marielle Lindgren, who held the role since March 2016.

Curiously, Ericsson did not release a statement announcing Griffin had assumed the role of acting CEO, and there was no mention of Lindgren in its statement announcing Ainley’s appointment.

5G critical
Ericsson said Ainley takes on the role of CEO at a crucial time for the market, with the vendor taking a key role in accelerating 5G deployment in the UK and aiming to upgrade 20,000 network sites by 2024.

Commenting on her new position, Ainley said: “Ericsson is at the forefront of 5G deployment around the world, playing an especially critical role here in the UK and Ireland where the technology is so important to the economic ambitions for both countries.”