Communications giant O2, part of the Telefonica group, has named Simon Linares as its new group HR director.
Linares, previously Africa HR director at drinks firm Diageo, will be responsible for all O2’s business outside Spain.
Prior to Diageo, Linares worked for a number of major companies in the financial services and consumer goods industries, including Barclays, Lloyds TSB and Grand Metropolitan.
Telefonica O2 Europe is headquartered in Slough, Berkshire, and has more than 40 million customers. It is made up of many landline and mobile phone businesses in the UK, Ireland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia – all of which use O2 as their consumer brand.
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Telefonica O2 Europe chief executive Matthew Key said HR was crucial to the business.
“Our people and the role our HR team play is vital to everything we do, and I am sure Simon will play an instrumental role in ensuring they will continue to be at the centre of our ongoing success in Europe,” he said.
