Ericsson has today announced that it plans to strengthen its 5G leadership in the UK and Ireland with the appointment of Katherine Ainley as CEO, as the company aims to increase its role in 5G deployment in the UK.
Ainley joins Ericsson from BT, where most recently she held the position of managing director of ventures in enterprise and CEO at Tikit, a subsidiary of BT.
"I am honoured and excited to be joining as CEO in February and look forward to leading Ericsson’s accelerated network deployment and opening up 5G as an exciting innovation platform."
Katherine Ainley, Ericsson.
“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,” Ainley said in the announcement of her new role. “I am honoured and excited to be joining as CEO in February and look forward to leading Ericsson’s accelerated network deployment and opening up 5G as an exciting innovation platform for the future in partnership with all mobile network operators.”
Joining Ericsson from BT
In her time at BT, Ainley held a variety of roles, and as well as her role as CEO at Tikit, was also the CEO of BT Payphones, where she was responsible for running the payphone business across the UK. And before joining BT, Ainley worked at Lloyds TSB, having begun her career as a management consultant at Ernst & Young.
"Katherine will be a key part of our 5G journey, bringing a wealth of industry experience to the role"
Arun Bansal, Ericsson.
“I am very excited for Katherine Ainley to join Ericsson as our new CEO for the UK and Ireland,” said Arun Bansal, president and head of Ericsson Europe and Latin America. “With 5G primed to bring societal benefits to the UK as well as an estimated £15bn in additional economic growth from industries like manufacturing, construction and agriculture, Katherine will be a key part of our 5G journey, bringing a wealth of industry experience to the role. I look forward to welcoming her to our team as we build on our leading position in the UK.”
Ericsson says that Ainley’s appointment comes at a critical time for 5G in the UK, as Ericsson will be upgrading 20,000 network sites by 2024, which will also see the creation of 800 new jobs to support an accelerated 5G rollout.
Ainley will succeed John Griffin when she takes up her new role in February. Griffin will return to his permanent role as Country Manager for Ericsson Ireland and continues as a highly valued member of the unit’s leadership team.
- Why 5G small cells are vital for mmWave 5G
- Get updates on the hottest 5G stocks
- Discover the truth behind 5G dangers
- 5G towers: everything you need to know
