UK's Vodafone names Microsoft's Lopez as new finance chief

(Reuters) -Britain's Vodafone Group named Microsoft's Pilar Lopez as its new finance chief on Thursday to succeed Luka Mucic, who is leaving the group at the end of November this year. 

Lopez's formal appointment as chief financial officer will start on December 1, 2025, the company said.

Lopez joins from Microsoft, where she has served several roles at the U.S. tech giant including chief operating officer for Western Europe, and more recently leading Microsoft's partnership with the London Stock Exchange Group.

She also spent 16 years with Spanish telecoms group Telefonica in various finance and senior leadership roles before joining Microsoft, Vodafone said in a statement.

"She has deep-rooted knowledge of both the telecoms and technology sectors, across a range of international leadership positions," Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle said.

(Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Rashmi Aich)