Chief Brand Officer (Effective November 9, 2009) and Head of MU South East Europe
Effective November 9, 2009 Mr Avenia is appointed Chief Brand Officer, a new position within the Ericsson Group Management team.
Since 2006, Mr Avenia has been the head of Market Unit South East Europe with responsibility for activities in Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Greece, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Cyprus, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Malta and Italy.
Before joining Ericsson Italy in 1994 as head of Marketing for Mobile Systems, Mr. Avenia held several positions dedicated to the telecommunications industry, working in companies like Italtel and Alcatel.
In conjunction with his different marketing positions in Ericsson, he has taught industrial marketing at the University of “Tor Vergata” in Rome.
In 1999 Avenia moved to London to lead the Middle East and Africa markets and in 2001 he became head of Market Unit Middle East and Vice President and General Manager for Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iran, the Gulf countries and Saudi Arabia.
In 2003 he returned to Italy as Managing Director of Ericsson Telecomunicazioni Italia.
Avenia has broad high-level experience in Ericsson, as well as served as Vice President and General Manager of the Public Telecommunications Division of Ericsson Italy, Global Account Executive. He has served on the boards of Ericsson in Czech Republic and Serbia.
In 2005, he was asked to create and teach 'creation and development of new enterprises' at the LUISS University and MBA program.
Avenia has taken on different roles in the Italian industry including: former advisor to the Italian association of electronics industry (ANIE); current Chairman of the Strategic Committee for Attraction of Foreign Investments at the Industrialist Association of Rome; and Chairman of the Electronic section of Confindustria Lazio.
He is Vice President of the Association of Telecom service providers within Confindustria, the National Association of Industralists in Italy; and a member of the Steering Committee for Innovation and Technology Services within the same organization.
Cesare Avenia was born in 1950 in S.Maria Capua Vetere in Italy and has a degree in Electronics Engineering. He is married and has two children.