Telenor Group went back to the future in its hunt for its latest CFO, lining up Torbjorn Wist for a return to the company where he previously worked for 13 years, a move which adds some familiarity during a broader shift in its top-tier management.

Wist is scheduled to take up the post no later than 1 February 2025. Until then, interim CFO Kasper Wold Kaarbo will continue to oversee financial operations.

Telenor stated the incoming finance chief’s appointment was overseen by inbound CEO Benedicte Schilbred Fasmer, who is scheduled to replace Sigve Brekke no later than 1 December.

The outgoing chief expressed satisfaction the company lined up a “strong and experienced CFO” as the permanent replacement for Tone Hegland Bachke, who announced her plan to depart in April.

Wist held several key roles at Telenor during his previous tenure, departing in 2018 from the positions of SVP and group treasurer to become EVP and CFO of Scandinavian Airlines.

He currently holds those same roles with global logistics company Wallenius Wilhelmsen and even steered the ship as acting CEO for a 15-month period.

Telenor stated such experience makes Wist a good fit for its strategy, “securing deep telecom-industry insight and excellent financial execution”.

Wist said it is an “honour and a privilege” to be selected by Telenor, which he argued is “in a unique position” to deliver “innovative and customer-centric” technology services.