Vodafone chief exits in ongoing reshuffle

Vodafone UK brand chief Matt Coombe is leaving the company as part of the ongoing restructure of the business.

He worked closely with head of brand and marketing communications Dominic Chambers, who left the mobile operator in February as part of the restructure (MW.co.uk, February 25).

The changes are being led by Vodafone UK’s new consumer director Ian Shepherd, who is looking for a replacement for Chambers, as well as someone to fill a new customer marketing role. It is not known whether Coombe will be replaced.

The restructure is expected to lead to at least 400 redundancies, as Vodafone UK looks to simplify its structure and make the company more customer focused. Shepherd told Marketing Week in February: “We can unlock a lot of value by building on the relationship we have with our customers.”

Chief marketing officer Tim Yates saw his role scrapped as part of the reshuffle, although he is expected to be handed a new position at group level.

Shepherd will have six direct reports in the new structure, including the brand and communications, and customer marketing roles. Shepherd sits on the UK board and reports to UK chief executive Nick Read.

Coombe was one of the key figures behind Honda’s award-winning ads before moving to Vodafone UK as head of brand 18 months ago (MW October 12, 2006).

He was marketing communications manager at Honda and worked closely with the brand’s marketing director Simon Thompson on the award-winning “Cog”, “Grrr”, “Choir” and “Impossible Dream” ads.

A Vodafone spokeswoman refused to comment.