LONDON: Vodafone Chief Executive Vittorio Colao will step down in October after 10 years in which the Italian reshaped the world’s second largest mobile operator into a digital communications powerhouse with a string of major deals.
The urbane Colao will be replaced by Nick Read, finance director since 2014 and long seen as his successor due to his previous roles running Vodafone’s operations around the world.
He will take charge of a group that, under Colao, pulled back from its once brazen expansionist drive, most notably when it sold out of the United States with a $130 billion exit from a joint venture with Verizon.
Last week Vodafone struck a long-expected $21.8 billion deal to buy Liberty Global’s cable TV and broadband networks in Germany and Eastern Europe, the latest move to strengthen its European business.
And in India, which it entered with great fanfare in 2007, it is merging its operations with Idea Cellular to bulk up in a market that has been hit by intense competition.
“Today Vodafone is at a natural juncture, the strategic 10 -year reshaping of the group is now nearing completion,” Colao, 56, told reporters. “Nick has been the core architect of Vodafone strategy for much of my tenure.”
Analysts said the timing of the departure should come as no surprise and that investors should be reassured by Read’s appointment. The change came as the group published solid 2018 results and a more cautious 2019 outlook.
Shares in Vodafone fell almost 4 percent on the news.
“With the Liberty deal announced and India set to close, he leaves behind a strategically well-positioned portfolio for his successor Nick Read, who we think is a safe pair of hands,” analysts at Bernstein said.
End of an era
In Read, 53, investors will get a new chief executive long groomed for the job.
Read said he had been alongside Colao through the process of reshaping Vodafone, and he would now deliver the benefits for shareholders and customers.
“I think now is the time to really focus on our organic plan, really focusing on digital transformation of our business and the customer experience,” he told reporters.
“And of course there’s a big opportunity of integrating these new businesses, both Liberty and over in India.”
Having joined Vodafone in 2001, Read’s roles have included running the British and emerging market operations. He has also sat on the boards of the company’s listed operations in Africa and Qatar, its subsidiaries in India and Egypt and its joint venture in Australia.
Read will be replaced by his deputy since 2015, Margherita Della Valle. The Italian joined Omnitel Pronto Italia — which later became Vodafone Italy — in 1994.
The announcement came as the company reported a 1.4 percent rise in organic service revenue for its fourth quarter, beating analyst forecasts of a 1.1 percent rise.
Full year core earnings rose 11.8 percent to 14.7 billion euros, beating guidance for “around 10 percent” organic growth and just ahead of analyst forecasts of 14.6 billion euros.
For 2019, the group forecast a more cautious organic adjusted core earnings growth of between 1 and 5 percent, and free cash flow before spectrum costs of at least 5.2 billion euros, slightly down on the 2018 number of 5.4 billion euros.
Work to do
Chairman Gerard Kleisterlee said Colao had been an “exemplary leader and strategic visionary who has overseen a dramatic transformation of Vodafone.”
Born in northern Italy, Colao cut his teeth as a management consultant at McKinsey before he joined Omnitel in 1996.
A keen cyclist, the tall Colao has lived a quiet life in London, largely avoiding London’s corporate social scene.
Colleagues say he enjoys the cut and thrust of talking to journalists and will also happily discuss European politics. Analysts have speculated that he could move into Italian politics.
His departure follows that of Martin Sorrell at WPP after 33 years in charge, meaning the FTSE 100 has lost two of its longest-serving CEOs in a short period of time.
“It has a been a real privilege to lead the group through a decade of massive strategic transformation culminating in today’s good financial performance,” Colao told reporters.
“But it is not yet the time for goodbyes. There is still a lot to do between now and October.”
End of an era as Vodafone boss Colao makes way for protege Read
End of an era as Vodafone boss Colao makes way for protege Read
- Last week Vodafone struck a long-expected $21.8 billion deal to buy Liberty Global’s cable TV and broadband networks in Germany and Eastern Europe
- The urbane Colao will be replaced by Nick Read, finance director since 2014 and long seen as his successor due to his previous roles running Vodafone’s operations around the world
UAE’s residential real estate market to see softer home sales
- Moody’s sees mild softening of prices over the next 12 - 8 months as rising completions add supply
RIYADH: The UAE’s residential real estate market is expected to see a modest decline in developer sales and a mild softening of prices over the next 12 to 18 months as rising completions add supply, Moody’s said.
Despite near-term easing, the credit ratings agency noted that developers are supported by strong revenue backlogs and solid financial positions, while regulatory measures have reduced banks’ exposure to the construction and property sectors, helping to preserve robust solvency and liquidity buffers across the financial system.
The broader trend is reflected in the UAE’s real estate market, which recorded a strong performance during the first three quarters of 2025, according to Markaz.
In Dubai, transaction values increased 28.3 percent year on year to 554.1 billion Emirati dirhams ($150.88 billion), while Abu Dhabi recorded total sales of 58 billion dirhams, up 75.8 percent year on year. The number of transactions in Abu Dhabi rose 42.3 percent to 15,800.
The report said: “After five years of extraordinary growth in the UAE’s residential real estate market, particularly in Dubai, we expect developer sales to decline modestly and some price softening over the next 12 to 18 months as rising completions add supply.
“From 2026 to 2028, around 180,000 new units will be completed in Dubai, a significant increase from prior years that is likely to weigh on demand and slow price growth.
“However, fundamentals remain supportive, underpinned by continued population growth and an influx of high-net-worth individuals. Rated developers’ credit quality will remain resilient, supported by strong revenue backlogs, front-loaded payment plans and solid financial positions.”
Munir Al-Daraawi, founder and CEO of Dubai-based Orla Properties, told Arab News the Moody’s report underscores what the firm is seeing on the ground, namely “a market that is successfully transitioning from a period of extraordinary growth to one of sustainable stability.”
He added: “While a mild softening of prices and a modest decline in sales are anticipated over the next 12 to 18 months, these are natural adjustments for a maturing global hub like Dubai.”
Al-Daraawi believes the the projected delivery of 180,000 units between 2026 and 2028 is not a cause for concern, but “a reflection of the UAE’s long-term appeal to high-net-worth individuals and a growing population.”
The CEO added: “The report rightly points out that fundamentals remain supportive, underpinned by Dubai’s 2040 Urban Master Plan and a significant influx of global talent.”
He went on to note that the resilience of the sector is further bolstered by the solid financial positions of developers and the strong regulatory measures that have shielded the banking sector from excessive exposure.
“This creates a robust ecosystem where credit quality remains high, even as we navigate a more competitive landscape. For boutique and luxury-focused developers, the current environment emphasizes the importance of quality, execution, and strategic capital allocation — factors that will continue to define the UAE’s real estate success story,” said Al-Daraawi.
The current environment emphasizes the importance of quality, execution, and strategic capital allocation.
Munir Al-Daraawi, Founder and CEO of Orla Properties
Riad Gohar, co-founder and CEO of BlackOak Real Estate, told Arab News that while Moody’s is correct to say that supply is rising, the conclusion of a broad slowdown ignores the structure of this current economic cycle.
He added: “First, this is not a debt-fueled market. Around 83 percent of Dubai residential transactions in 2024 and 2025 were non-mortgaged. That means the market is equity-driven, not credit-driven. When cycles are not built on leverage, corrections are typically shallow and segmented, not systemic. “
He added that the macroeconomic backdrop is stronger than in past cycles, driven by sustained non-oil gross domestic product increase, structural reforms, population growth, and capital inflows aligned with long-term national plans.
“Demand is not purely speculative; it is driven by migration, business formation, and wealth relocation,” the CEO said.
“Third, prime vs. non-prime must be separated. Any pressure from increased completions is more likely to affect marginal locations, not established prime areas supported by global HNWI inflows. Historically, prime assets in Dubai have shown resilience even during broader market pauses,” Gohar added.
He continued to clarify that for smaller developers, some may feel margin compression if sales moderate, but this becomes a consolidation phase, not a systemic risk.
“Banks’ real estate exposure has already declined to around 12 percent of total loans — from 19 percent in 2021 — and NPLs (non-performing loans) are low at 2.9 percent, meaning financial contagion risk is limited. Regulatory escrow structures and stricter oversight further reduce spillover,” the CEO said.
“We are in a capital-rich, cash-driven cycle, regulated market with strong GDP and population growth. If anything, weaker fringe players exiting would strengthen the core not destabilize it,” he said.
The Moody’s report highlighted that while most developers it rates will generate “substantial excess cash” over the next two to three years, there will be fewer opportunities to make significant investments, especially within the Dubai real estate market.
As well as prompting a shift toward corporate governance and, in particular, how developers deploy their rising liquidity, some firms are looking to diversify beyond their core business models.
“For instance, Binghatti has recently launched its first master-planned villa community, marking a departure from its historical focus on single-plot high-rise developments, as demand for villas continues to outperform that for apartments,” said the report.
It continued: “Others are looking beyond Dubai and the UAE for growth, whether through geographic diversification or expansion into unrelated sectors.
“For example, Damac’s owner, Hussain Sajwani, has announced significant planned investments in data center development across the US and Europe.
“Emaar continues to develop actively in Egypt and India and is evaluating potential entry into China and the US. Aldar has started development projects in the UK and Egypt, while Arada has begun building in Australia and the UK and Sobha is expanding into the US.”
