Job Description

VEON is a Nasdaq-listed global digital operator that serves more than 150 million customers with connectivity and about 120 million monthly active users with digital services in some of the world’s most exciting frontier markets. Operating across 5 countries that are home to nearly 520 million people, in other words more than 6% of the world’s population, VEON transforms lives through technology-driven services that empower individuals and drive economic growth.
With VEON’s Digital Operator 1440 vision and strategy, VEON Group companies redefine the engagement that telecom operators have with their customers, providing the best digital experience to customers up to 1440 minutes in a day. We transform not only the daily experience of the final users, but also support the growth of enterprises and industries as a whole, using cutting-edge technologies in AI, big-data and cloud services to serve our business customers.
This is all underpinned by a commitment to sustainability, ensuring VEON’s operations are run safely and ethically while fostering digital entrepreneurship and greater digital skills and literacy in the communities in which VEON operates. VEON’s values-based approach works to strengthen trust by building a responsible and sustainable business that benefits customers, employees, communities, and shareholders.
VEON’s international leadership team is drawn from experienced executives from around the world and has been led by CEO Kaan Terzioğlu since July 2021.
The Director M&A will support the M&A activity for VEON Group, focusing on key areas and potential digital verticals i.e. Fin-Tech, Digital Banking, Entertainment, Health Tech and Ride Hailing etc. and lead end to end transactions for the Group.
This will include the strategic analysis, identification and execution of a wide range of complex international transactions including acquisitions, divestitures, mergers and will take the lead on selective M&A activity within the operating companies.
This role, reporting directly to Chief Investment Officer VEON Group, will play a key role in reshaping VEON as it delivers its digital growth journey.
The Director M&A will be seen as a highly credible voice and representative of the company and as such be able to influence, persuade and shape perceptions and understanding of the VEON business, which in turn creates a relationships and an operating environment that allows the business to successfully achieve its strategic objectives and desired performance.
The Director of M&A will be part of a focused team that will develop and deliver a clear and comprehensive plan that will support the execution of the Group DO1440 and AI1440 strategy and the M&A activity with equity investors. The Director M&A will partner with both business leaders and functional leaders and all internal and external stakeholders to bring their plans to life.
In contributing to the strategy and subsequently implementing it, The Director M&A will harness the functional expertise that currently exists within the Group, empowering the function, providing leaders with a framework to operate both globally and locally in market.
Organisational savviness, an international mindset and experience working in a multi-jurisdictional emerging market matrix environment is essential.
The Director of M&A will demonstrate a deep understanding of the unique challenges the telecommunications and digital technology industries face and be able to quickly build mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders, both external and internal.

Key Responsibilities

Transaction Leadership & Execution
• Lead end-to-end M&A transactions for VEON Group, including acquisitions, divestitures and mergers across complex international frontier markets.
• Take ownership of selective M&A activity within operating companies, managing all phases from origination through to close.
Strategic Analysis & Opportunity Identification
• Drive strategic analysis and identification of M&A opportunities across key verticals including FinTech, Digital Banking and Entertainment, aligned with the Group's DO1440 digital growth strategy. Stakeholder Engagement & Influence
• Serve as a highly credible representative of VEON, building and managing relationships with equity investors, external partners and internal stakeholders. Influence, persuade and shape perceptions of the VEON business to create an operating environment conducive to strategic success.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Partner with business and functional leaders across the Group and operating companies to bring M&A plans to life.
• Leverage existing functional expertise to execute M&A transactions effectively across both global and local market contexts.
Strategic Planning & Delivery
• Contribute to and implement a clear, comprehensive M&A plan that supports the execution of the Group's overarching strategy, working closely with the CIO and broader leadership team.
Multi-Jurisdictional Deal Management
• Navigate and manage M&A activity across multiple jurisdictions, coordinating legal, regulatory, financial and operational workstreams in a complex matrix environment.

Critical Skills & Experience

Technical & Deal Expertise
• Proven track record of executing complex, cross border M&A transactions (acquisitions, divestitures, mergers) from origination to close
• Strong financial modelling, valuation, and due diligence capabilities
• Deep understanding of deal structuring across multiple asset classes and geographies (frontier markets)
Industry Knowledge
• Solid grasp of the telecommunications and digital technology sectors, including the unique commercial and regulatory challenges they present
• Familiarity with high-growth verticals such as FinTech, Digital Banking and Digital Entertainment in emerging markets
Strategic Thinking
• Ability to translate corporate strategy into actionable M&A priorities and executable transaction plans
• Commercially minded with the capacity to assess strategic fit, risk and value creation potential
Stakeholder & Relationship Management
• Exceptional ability to build trust and mutually beneficial relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including equity investors and C-suite leaders
• Strong influencing and negotiation skills, able to represent the company credibly at the highest levels
Communication & Leadership
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills and the ability to simplify complexity for diverse audiences
• A natural collaborator who can lead cross-functional and cross-border teams without direct authority
Organizational & Cultural Agility
• High degree of organizational savviness with experience thriving in multi-jurisdictional, matrix environments
• International mindset with sensitivity to local market nuances across VEON's operating footprint

Education & Experience

• 10+ years of relevant experience in corporate finance, M&A, consulting, or equivalent professional role in investment banks, private equity, big 4’s and having inhouse experience would be an added value.
• Bachelors / Master’s degree or equivalent in or related to finance from a leading university

VEON Manifesto Principles

Our Purpose is “Better Life for All”

• At VEON we are motivated by our purpose: “Better Life for All”.
• We define it in terms of the freedom to access opportunity, anywhere, anytime, regardless of background or circumstance.

Clarity is Our Superpower

• “Better Life for All” begins with clarity, knowing what matters most to our customers and all stakeholders.
• We cut through noise and master complexity to deliver clear, tangible value for all.

Our Pioneering Spirit Defines Us

• VEON is a company of bold, creative pioneers who turn challenges into opportunities and bring innovation that leapfrogs barriers.
• We believe that progress is not discovered, it is created.

We Fight Against Mediocrity

• Excellence is not a goal post; it is a mindset. We set bold standards in product quality, service, value and communication.
• We seek constant improvement, never settling on past achievements or the comfort of routines.

We Put Results Above Rituals

• We focus on action over theory, purpose and clarity over bureaucracy and rituals.
• Our processes are designed with clarity and simplicity to enable a fast-paced, lean, ambitious organization that delivers progress, never compromising on integrity.

We Hire for Potential and Drive

• We hire for potential, drive, curiosity, diversity, and growth mindset, not just past credentials.
• We develop talent who take bold bets and drive growth for our stakeholders.

Courage Fuels Our Leadership

• We take risks and do not fear making mistakes, because we learn from them and grow with them.
• We speak the truth candidly and respectfully, while leading with empathy.

We Aim for Audacious Impact

• We aim for bold impact at scale. We seek game-changing innovations that can potentially reach hundreds of millions of people and fundamentally change the ways we do business.
• We measure ourselves by the positive changes we create for our stakeholders.

We Incentivize with Integrity

• We reward outcomes, impact, and results that drive shareholder value without compromising on integrity.
• We reward exceptional performance delivered through an unwavering commitment to ethical standards

We Stand Strong Together

• We unite through collaboration, unity, trust, and a shared purpose.
• We channel our collaborative resilience into long-term growth for our people, customers and shareholders, we stay strong and keep moving.

We Never Give Up

• We rise to every challenge, learn from adversity, and grow stronger. We embrace grit and perseverance as drivers of progress.
• We turn setbacks into lessons that make us stronger.

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Do you want to be part of a team that serves over 150 million customers across 5 dynamic markets? Do you want to pioneer new experiences for hundreds of millions in emerging economies? Do you feel at home working in a truly diverse and inclusive environment? We are VEON, a global digital operator and we scale new heights never thought possible. Our DE&I Vision is:Creating an Inclusive World for All – Inside and Beyond VEON We aspire to create an Inclusive world for all by providing Equal voice and representation, driving growth with diverse and inclusive teams, that create products that serve Diverse needs of our customers across all dimensions of life from connectivity to digital financial inclusion, education, health and entertainment, and creating value for our people, our partners, and communities.