Ericsson tasked Sean Cryan (pictured) with overhauling part of its struggling Latin American operation, seeking to tap the executive’s 20-years of experience to boost its position in one of the most competitive regions in its portfolio.

Cryan is appointed as Ericsson’s president for Latin America North and the Caribbean, a position spanning 39 territories, seven different languages and two factories.

The vendor explained the appointment is part of a reorganisation under the Ericsson Americas banner, a move which paid off in the opening quarter when the division booked a 26 per cent year-on-year rise in revenue.

Much of the growth, though, was driven by its North American business, with the company noting in earnings documents Latin American sales were down “due to continued intense competition and lower customer network investments”.

Cryan believes the region offers great potential for economic development based on digitalisation and explained Ericsson’s strategy would focus on fixed wireless access and “closing digital divides”.

Ericsson explained Cryan is also set to heavily promote 5G networks in Latin America.

The executive joined Ericsson from Vodafone Group in 2007 and gained leadership experience with the vendor’s cloud software and services unit for the Americas, as a key account manager for its T-Mobile US relationship, country manager for Nigeria and a mobile financial services role involving MTN Group.