Proximus CEO Guillaume Boutin will leave the Belgian telco later this year to join Vodafone Group as CEO of investments & strategy.

Boutin will depart the carrier by mid-May after seven years, the company said today (February 10). He has been CEO since December 2019.

From May, he will join Vodafone, where he will also become a member of Vodafone's executive committee.

During his time as CEO at Proximus, Guillaume has overseen the deployment of the company's 5G rollout in Belgium, plus its fiber network push.

Guillaume will succeed Serpil Timuray in the role at Vodafone, who is leaving the carrier after 15 years at the company. Timuray joined Vodafone in 2009 as CEO of its Turkish unit.

Vodafone established the investments role last year as part of an effort to combine Vodafone’s non-controlled investments in telecoms operators, infrastructure assets, and sector innovators, together with its Partner Markets division. Its Partners Markets division provides services to other telecom operators in 45 countries.

"Proximus is well-prepared for the future and can count on strong foundations and incredible talents. Major transformations have been initiated in the last years and the management, together with their teams, will further execute them with the same drive," said Prixmus' Boutin.

"I see significant opportunities to create value through its investments in operators, infrastructure, and innovation, and to further enhance the support Vodafone provides to telecoms operators around the world," he added.

Prior to joining Proximus, Guillaume previously worked for French carrier SFR, and was chief marketing officer for Canal+.