Listed telecoms giant Veon has found a new group general counsel from among the in-house ranks of its Russian telecoms brand Beeline Russia to succeed longstanding GC Scott Dresser.

Victor Biryukov will relocate from Moscow to join the Amsterdam-based company at the start of next year from a role as executive vice president for legal support, government relations and compliance at Beeline Russia.

At Veon, which is the 13th-largest mobile operator in the world and offers services across Asia, Africa and Europe, Biryukov will report to CEO Kaan Terzioglu, lead the group’s legal team, support the execution of its strategic initiatives and oversee its governance model.

"Victor will be joining the group executive team after many years of service to our largest operation, Beeline Russia," said Terzioglu. "His proven leadership and command of key issues in our operations will be crucial to the next stage of Veon's strategy and governance. I am confident that under his leadership, our legal team will be an excellent business partner to both our group functions and to our operating companies, as we pursue the ambitions of our 2022-2024 plan."

Biryukov began the role at Beeline in spring 2020 having joined parent company PJSC VimpelCom, one of Russia’s largest wireless and telecoms operators and which is itself wholly owned by Veon, in 2016 as director of legal affairs for Eurasia. He was made executive vice president for legal affairs and corporate relations the following year and served briefly as the company’s acting general director before moving to Beeline.

Earlier Biryukov, who has more than two decades of experience in corporate law across Russia, CIS, and Europe, held senior positions including general counsel of Access Industries for Russia and CIS and managing director of Brunswick Rail Management. He has graduated from universities in Russia and the US, including Harvard Business School.

Veon declined to comment on Dresser’s next steps, other than to say that he would continue as a strategic advisor to chairman of the board Gennady Gazim after stepping down as GC at the of this month. 

Gazim said of Biryukov’s appointment that his “professional and managerial qualities, as well as his ability for teamwork, will ensure continuity to the strong role Scott played for many years guiding our group's legal and corporate affairs," adding that: “He will support the board on continued governance progress, and will contribute to the success of our many business initiatives and related transactions."

Dresser joined Veon as group general counsel in 2014 having earlier served as GC for Virgin Media. During his seven years at the helm, he negotiated the $24bn merger of VimpelCom's Wing Telecommunicazioni and 3 Italia and oversaw a high-profile compliance settlement with US and Dutch authorities. He also navigated the organisation through a US DOJ/SEC compliance monitorship that ended in 2019.