Vodafone’s
most senior handset buyer, Chris Edwards, left the company this week.
Edwards’ colleagues were informed on Monday this week,
with manufacturers told the following day.
Vodafone confirmed Edwards’ departure but would not
comment further.
Vodafone began centralising its group handset
purchasing last year to leverage its handset buying power. Edwards reported
into Jens Schulte-Bochum.
In the UK, Edwards was an important player in
Vodafone’s drive to integrate services into handsets, and has prioritised 3G
over 2G in his ranging decisions for the UK.
Last year, Edwards
took a step up in Jens Schulte-Bockum’s global terminals team, taking worldwide
responsibility for the relationship with Sony Ericsson.
A successor is not known at this stage but sources
said Edwards had an able deputy in Laurent Bouvier, head of purchasing for
Vodafone UK.