Dunne to head UK unit in latest O2 reshuffle

The changing of the guard at O2 appears to be complete after Ronan Dunne was named as the head of the mobile phone operator's UK division and Dave Williams, the company's highly regarded chief technology officer, revealed he will return to the US next year.

The shake-up comes only weeks after the long-serving chief executive Peter Erskine announced he would step down from the company and that Matthew Key, incumbent head of the company's UK unit, would take his place as head of the O2 group.

Mr Dunne has been with the company since before it was demerged from BT in 2001 and has held the position of chief financial officer of the UK business since February 2005. The company credits the 44-year-old with leading the buyout of The Link mobile phone retail chain and integrating it into the company's existing retail business.

Dublin-born Mr Dunne previously worked at logistics company Exel, and his appointment to replace Mr Key means O2, the UK's largest mobile phone company, has again promoted one of its own, rather than looking outside the company for reinforcements. He will take up his new role in February and join the board of Telefonica O2 Europe.

Mr Williams, who has overseen the company's research into innovative new services such as mobile TV, femtocells and wireless broadband, is understood to be leaving O2 to return to the US to take a senior executive position at a leading US company. It is thought that Mr Williams is joining Comcast, although O2 declined to comment. He will remain with the Spanish-owned mobile company until April.

In another change in its management structure, Vivek Dek has been appointed to the new role of chief operating officer of the Telefonica O2 Europe business.