The Chief Operating Officer (COO) and co-founder of the British investment manager Zegona, parent company of Vodafone Spain, Robert Samuelson, has unexpectedly died this Monday, according to the company itself.
The president and CEO of Zegona, Eamonn O'Hare, has expressed his deep sorrow over the passing of someone he described as "his co-founder, a trusted colleague, and above all, a dear friend" whom he will "deeply" miss.
On behalf of both organizations, O'Hare indicated that the entire team at Zegona and Vodafone Spain joins him in extending their condolences to the family of the deceased executive.
The top leader of the group recalled that both launched the Zegona project a decade ago based solely on a "good idea," emphasizing Samuelson's essential contribution to the construction of everything achieved since then.
Finally, O'Hare highlighted "the dedication, generosity, and willingness" of Samuelson to support the professional development of others within an increasingly solid team, assuring that his legacy will remain in the people and in the daily activities of the company.
BIOGRAPHY AND CAREER
Robert Samuelson graduated in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and later completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Cranfield School of Management.
At the beginning of his career, he worked in engineering and production management at prominent British companies in the defense and technology sectors, including British Aerospace and Royal Ordnance.
Between 1990 and 2000, he was a director in the corporate finance advisory services area of the consulting firm Arthur D. Little, before joining Virgin Management Limited, where he served as executive director of Telecommunications and Media from 2000 to 2011.
Later, between 2011 and 2014, he held the position of executive director of Strategy at the Virgin Media Group, from which he played a decisive role in the sale of the company to the telecommunications group Liberty Global.
In 2015, he co-founded Zegona Communications alongside Eamonn O'Hare, taking on the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the firm.
In this last stage, he led the main strategic operations of the company in the telecommunications sector, with particular relevance to his involvement in investments in Telecable and Euskaltel, as well as in the purchase of Vodafone Spain.