Dubai: Phone operator du hired Johan Dennelind as chief executive officer, replacing Osman Sultan.

Dennelind was previously CEO of Stockholm-based Telia Co. after having worked with Telenor ASA and DiGi in Malaysia, according to a statement.

Sultan, the founding CEO of du, stepped down after almost 14 years of leading the company, which is also known as Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Co.

Dennelind stepped down from Telia this year after six years at the helm. During his tenure, Dennelind steered Telia away from the complex holdings it had in Central Asia, some of which were dogged by corruption concerns.