VEON

VEON is a global telecommunications and digital operator that provides services to nearly 160 million customers in the six growing frontier markets of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. These countries are home to 510 million people with great potential, but who have often been held back from experiencing the full benefits of the global digital transition by geopolitical factors, challenging domestic and regulatory situations, and historic underinvestment.

VEON aims to change that by providing the high-speed connectivity and digital services in finance, entertainment, education, healthcare and more, to ensure digital inclusion, empower people and drive economic growth. As a public company listed on NASDAQ, VEON is instrumental in bringing in international investment and advocating for the regulatory changes to unlock global connectivity. This submission is focused on the team leading VEON’s global public affairs strategy - the Corporate Affairs Team.

The team has a proven track-record of advocating on behalf of the company and its customers, at the highest levels of Government and international decision-making. VEON’s corporate affairs team are based across Europe and Asia and is a highly diverse and international team. The team is made up of Marine Babayan, Group Director of Corporate Affairs, Hugh Bennett, Director of Government Relations, Anton Shishkin, Senior Corporate Affairs Strategist, Elena Riva, Senior Manager Government Relations, Leah Fodevchuk, Business Support Manager, and Rohail Ursani, Corporate Affairs Manager.

In 2022, VEON had no corporate affairs function or advisors but in the space of under three years, VEON’s public affairs strategy and issues management has become a key enabler of VEON’s business strategy and creating huge value. VEON’s 2023-24 public affairs strategy was developed amid a time of significant political uncertainty. The team’s overarching strategic goal was to ensure that it could continue providing vital services to its customers despite geopolitical uncertainty and the major disruption caused by the war in Ukraine, by building international political support to enable VEON to continue its mission of serving the underserved.