Telenor Group Appoints Jukka Leinonen as Head of Nordic Cluster

Jukka Leinonen, CEO of the Finnish telcom operator DNA, has been appointed head of Telenor Group’s newly formed Nordic cluster.

In his new role, Leinonen will be part of Telenor’s Group Executive Management and assume the role of chair of Telenor Sweden and Telenor Denmark, in addition to retaining his responsibilities as CEO of DNA in Finland.

“Jukka Leinonen is a well reputed telco leader with more than 30 years in the ICT industry. He has been instrumental in making DNA into the successful business it is today. The position of DNA and its continuous growth is truly impressive. Leinonen’s growth mindset and experience from the highly digital Finnish market is perfect for leading the new Nordic cluster and for joining Telenor Group’s management,” says Sigve Brekke, President & CEO, Telenor Group.

Leinonen has worked at DNA, Telenor Group’s newest company, since 2010. He joined DNA as Senior Vice President, Corporate Business and was appointed CEO of DNA in 2013. From 2002-2009 he held various senior management positions in corporate business sales, marketing and product management at TeliaSonera Ltd. Before this, from 1996-1999, he served as President and CEO for Sonera Solutions Oy.

“I am honoured to head the new Nordic cluster and look forward to further developing Telenor Group’s position in the region through strengthened collaboration between the Nordic Telenor companies. I see great potential for value creation, for instance better roaming for customers, developing the B2B segment in the cluster, 5G and IoT,” says Leinonen.

Telenor Norway, as the home market and an important innovation driver in the Group, is a key value creator to Telenor. CEO Petter-Børre Furberg will as of 1 November 2019 join the Group Executive Management in addition to being part of the collaborative work and innovation within the new Nordic Cluster.

Furberg has previously been a member of Group Executive Management in his roles as Cluster head for Emerging Asia and CEO of Telenor Myanmar.

Ensuring integrated operation across the Nordic region

Telenor Group has consolidated its position in the Nordic through the recent acquisition of DNA in Finland. After an extended mandatory offer period in October, Telenor Group currently owns 97.87 percent of the company.

The acquisition marked another step in executing on the Group’s strategic agenda, focusing on modernisation and value creation within core telecom in the Nordics and Asia.

The Finnish operator joins Telenor’s operations in Norway, Sweden and Denmark in a newly formed Nordic Cluster, which will focus on enabling synergies, drive growth and creating value for the customers across the region.