United Group has appointed a series of senior executives and advisers across media, technology, finance and governance, adding strength at Group level as it continues to invest in its businesses. The appointments reflect the Group’s focus on providing the strategy, capital and specialist expertise that our operating companies can draw on, while local management teams run those businesses.

Finance

Tim Pennington joins as Group Executive Director Head of Finance and M&A. He is one of the most experienced finance leaders in international telecoms, having served as Chief Financial Officer of Millicom, of Cable & Wireless Communications and of Hutchison Telecom International, as well as Group Finance Director of Cable & Wireless plc. He began his career in investment banking, at Samuel Montagu and later at HSBC, and is currently an independent non-executive director of MTN and Zegona.

Nicholas Linder joins as Chief Financial Officer of United Media. He brings fifteen years in finance and commercial leadership, most recently in senior roles at the Pick n Pay Group, one of Africa’s largest retailers. He holds a Master in Advanced Finance from IE Business School in Madrid and an MBA from GIBS in Pretoria.

Legal and governance

Natalia Todorova has been appointed Group Senior Legal Counsel and Group Company Secretary. Natalia leads the Group’s legal function and corporate governance framework, overseeing legal support across the business, company secretarial matters and the day-to-day operation of the Group’s governance processes. She joined United Group in 2021 after spending a decade at Vivacom.

Roger Munger has been appointed Senior Legal Advisor to the Chief Executive, Litigation and Dispute Management. Roger advises the Chief Executive on disputes, investigations and other high-impact legal matters. He brings more than 30 years of international legal experience advising boards, financial institutions and shareholders, including leading cross-border disputes, regulatory investigations and major corporate transactions.

Media and content

Dr Markus Frerker arrives as Senior Advisor, Media. Markus co-founded and ran LEONINE Studios, the film and television business that Mediawan acquired in full in 2024, and before that led the content business at ProSiebenSat.1. Earlier in his career he was a partner at McKinsey, where he headed the technology, media and telecommunications practice in Germany and Austria. He sits on the boards of United Media, United Media Network and Zattoo.

Stephen Nuttall joins as Senior Advisor on sports and media rights. He has spent more than thirty years in sport, media and digital, with senior roles at Sky and at Google and YouTube, and he chairs IBC, the industry’s main international event. He served on Ofcom’s Content Board until 2024.

Suzana Radošević becomes Head of Content Strategy and Distribution. A founding member of United Group, she has spent more than twenty years in telecom and media across Central and Eastern Europe and helped build the company from a start-up into one of Southeast Europe’s leading telecom and media groups. She leads content strategy, partnerships and distribution across the Group’s markets, drawing on long experience in content acquisition, licensing and large-scale negotiations across linear and digital platforms.

Digital and AI

Georg Tsaros becomes Senior Executive Advisor for digital and AI. He has run platform, ISP and IoT businesses across Europe, the United States and the Middle East in COO and Group CEO roles, and was chief executive of a listed cybersecurity company. He holds an MBA from MIT Sloan. At United Group he focuses on EON and United Cloud.

Strategy and transformation

Ivan Nemšić joins as Executive Director Strategy Implementation. He will lead the execution of United Group’s strategic and transformation initiatives, driving value creation and performance across the portfolio. Before joining United Group, Ivan spent eight years at McKinsey & Company, advising CEOs and private equity investors across telecommunications, media, digital platforms and technology. Earlier in his career, he worked in leveraged finance at UBS in London. He holds an MBA from INSEAD and speaks English, German and Croatian.

Public Policy, Regulatory Affairs and Corporate Communications

Janet Zaharieva becomes Group Director Public Policy and Corporate Affairs, alongside her role as Chief Public Policy and European Affairs at Vivacom. She has spent 28 years in communications, media and ICT, and has been part of Vivacom’s leadership since 2010, shaping regulatory strategy and advising senior leadership. She represents United Group in leading European industry bodies, including the Connect Europe Executive Board and the GSMA Europe Policy Group. Earlier in her career she was General Counsel of bTV, Bulgaria’s national private broadcaster, and Director of Legal Affairs and International Relations at the Bulgarian telecoms regulator.

Iva Gajić has been part of United Group since 2020, progressively expanding her responsibilities from supporting local operating companies to corporate communications at Group level. She now serves as Group Director Corporate Communications, helping strengthen communication across the organization during a period of significant growth and transformation. Before joining United Group, Iva held communications, media, and digital roles across the industry. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Communications and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance.

Stan Miller, Chief Executive of United Group, said: “These are people who have built and run businesses of real scale in media, technology and finance. Their experience strengthens how we create sustainable value across the Group, and our businesses will feel the benefit as they continue to grow.”