Colourful brekke leaving dtac to head telenor asia

Brekke will continue as DTAC's top man until the end of next month before moving to Telenor Asia

to succeed Arve Johansen on September 1. Brekke will also join Telenor Group's executive management and keep an eye on DTAC as its vice chairman.

Brekke said yesterday he had joined with DTAC in handpicking Tore Johnsen, the CEO of Telenor Pakistan since its start-up in 2004, to replace him.

Brekke said his main job at Telenor Asia was to grow its existing business and expand its portfolio in Asia.

Telenor Asia's headquarters in Bangkok oversees the Norwegian firm's mobile operations in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Thailand, as well as exploring possible expansion projects in the region.

Brekke said Telenor Asia had proposed the top job to him some months ago, which would give him a chance to enter global management.

His leaving will not trigger any big management change at DTAC.

"Over the past six years, DTAC has gone through several challenges and I am sure that with its strong management team and its unique culture, DTAC will continue to thrive in this competitive market and remain one of the most preferred brands in Thailand," he said.

Brekke has served DTAC as a director since September 2000, and as co-CEO from 2002 to 2005 and sole CEO since 2005. With a personal flair, he has been seen as turning DTAC around from an ailing company to a strong competitor on a par with market leader Advanced Info Service.

Prior to joining DTAC, he served as the managing director of Telenor's Singapore Office for three years, where he was responsible for developing and managing the parent company's investments in Asia.

"The board of directors is very satisfied that Johnsen has decided to join DTAC. His tenure at Telenor Pakistan is a statement of his capabilities, having led Telenor Pakistan from a No-6 to a No-2 position in only four years. We welcome him warmly to Thailand and look forward to cooperating with him," DTAC chairman Boonchai Bencharongkul said.

Telenor, Norway's telecom giant, became the strategic partner of DTAC and its parent United Communication Industry in 2000. Its wholly owned Telenor Asia holds 32.7 per cent of DTAC, while Thai Telco Holdings secures 32.8 per cent. Telenor Asia also owns 49 per cent of Thai Telco Holdings.

DTAC is listed on both the Thai and Singaporean stock exchanges. DTAC's stock in Singapore closed at US$1.61 yesterday, unchanged from Thursday, and in Thailand at Bt49.25, down from Bt50 the day before.

A telecom analyst said the drop in DTAC's share price would only be a short-term move.

DTAC is the country's second-largest mobile carrier, serving 16.7 million customers as of the first quarter.