Mobile phone operator Grameenphone (GP) yesterday appointed Oddvar Hesjedal as the company's new chief executive officer (CEO).

He will take over the charge from Anders Jensen, who announced his plan in September to curtail his tenure on familial grounds.

"The Board of Directors is very pleased to appoint Oddvar Hesjedal as Grameenphone's new CEO," said Sigve Brekke, chairman of the Board of Directors of Grameenphone and CEO of Telenor Asia, according to a statement.

Hesjedal, 58, has been serving Grameenphone as its chief technology officer (CTO) since June this year. Prior to joining the operator, he held various top management positions within Telenor Group. He was also CTO of Kyivstar, Ukraine during 2004-06.

Before joining Telenor Group, Hesjedal was CEO of software and consultancy companies in Norway and Sweden. A Master in computer science from the University of Oslo, Hesjedal is married and has three daughters.