Telecom Italia commercial chief exits

Telecom Italia faced further potential management upheaval, as it announced its chief commercial officer is set to stand down from the company after five months in the role.

In a brief statement, the operator announced Pietro Scott Jovane is leaving for personal reasons. A successor was not named, with Telecom Italia stating all commercial activities will fall under the remit of CEO Amos Genish.

In its statement, the operator thanked the CCO “for his significant and positive contribution to the company”.

Jovane took on the role in mid-April. At the time the company referred to his recruitment as a “significant senior hire”, pointing to his experience as CEO of companies including Microsoft Italia, RCS Mediagroup and ePrice.

A key element of his remit was to accelerate the convergence of the operator’s content and distribution platforms. Also on Jovane’s plate was development of Telecom Italia’s commercial strategy in its consumer and small enterprise business, top clients, its multimedia entertainment business, and brand development and positioning.

The decision comes as major shareholders Vivendi and Elliott Management engage in a public spat over Telecom Italia’s performance; specifically a significant drop in its share price in the four months since Elliott Management led a move to install an independent board rather than directors favoured by the French media company.

During the battle for control, Elliott Management cast doubt on Genish’s future as CEO after slating Telecom Italia’s strategy. A few weeks later, his tenure was again called into question after he used Italian media to criticise some members of the newly appointed board.

Telecom Italia’s leadership subsequently backed the CEO after he issued an apology for the comments.