Ericsson’s new President and CEO, Per Narvinger, has announced a major management shake-up, bringing its Asia-Pacific operations together and making changes to its enterprise wireless business as the company looks to cut costs and work more efficiently.
The changes, which take effect on 1 January 2027, will see the telecom giant combine its North East Asia and South East Asia, Oceania and India businesses into one Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
Patrick Johansson, who currently heads Ericsson’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) operations, will take charge of the new APAC business. The company will now look for someone to replace him in EMEA.
Narvinger said: “With the changes announced, the executive team will be leaner and more balanced in terms of responsibilities, which will enable greater customer focus and the ability to act fast in a dynamic environment.
“The creation of the APAC market area will also enable us to operate more effectively whilst staying close to customers at country level. Asia-Pacific is home to many important customers, and this change will help us strengthen our focus and execution in order to serve our customers even better.
“I am pleased that Patrick Johansson who has extensive experience from working in the APAC region, has accepted to head the new market area, building on the strong contribution in developing customer relationships and growth for both us and our customers in Market Area EMEA,” he added.
The move also means changes for two senior executives. Chafic Nassif, who leads North East Asia, and Andres Vicente, who oversees South East Asia, Oceania and India, will help with the merger before handing over their responsibilities on 31 December 2026.
Meanwhile, Ericsson is also making changes to its Enterprise Wireless Solutions business, moving its products and services into other parts of the company, it revealed.
Its Neutral Host solutions and Ericsson Private 5G operations will move into Business Area Networks, while Wireless WAN will remain a separate business reporting to Yossi Cohen, head of Ericsson’s Americas operations.
Finally, Åsa Tamsons, who currently leads Enterprise Wireless Solutions, will help oversee the changes before leaving her role at the end of December 2026.
Narvinger concluded: “We are strengthening our focus on seamless connectivity and want to make sure that we can offer a rich portfolio that leverages the full R&D competence in the company and meets both CSP and Enterprise demand.
“Åsa has been instrumental in creating new channels to Enterprises for our portfolio, which now enables us to take the next step in developing our indoor and Enterprise business. She has also been an important change leader in the company, serving on the Executive Team and successfully leading multiple businesses since 2018. I am grateful for her many contributions.”
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