West Midlands 5G appoints former Telefonica-man as financial director

Datta has spent 15 years across various senior leadership roles prior to his new job

West Midlands 5G has announced the appointment of a new financial director to lead the financial management of the UK’s first region-wide 5G testbed.

Former Telefonica-man Suvo Datta has been appointed to the role. He succeeds Laurence Goldberg, who held the role on an interim basis since December 2019.

WM5G is an organisation backed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) set up to deliver the UK’s first region-wide 5G testbed.

Datta joins as WM5G gets ready to launch the UK’s 5G accelerators in Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton. This also includes the launch of the UK’s first 5G transport testbed.

In the past Datta has held senior leadership roles at Telefonica UK (O2), Vodafone and Deloitte.

His most recent role was the position of general manager of smart insurance at Telefonica UK. Datta also held senior leadership roles in finance, marketing and digital functions at Telefonica UK.

Datta is responsible for leading and developing WM5G’s strategic plan annual budget, plus working with public and private funders.

Commenting on his appointment Datta said: “Having developed and delivered financial and strategic plans, long-term investment strategies and key partnerships at both Telefónica and Vodafone, I hope I can bring a wealth of expertise to WM5G and help to enhance its operations, strengthened by efficient financial management.”