French billionaire cuts 15% of IT employees in his Ukrainian company
5 February 2025 13:40
DVL Group, which includes three major telecommunications companies in Ukraine – mobile operator lifecell and Datagroup-Volia, a combined fixed-line internet provider – has announced plans to reduce its IT staff. According to information confirmed by the group’s management, it is planned to lay off up to 15% of the IT department, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports with reference to DOU.
This information was first reported by lifecell employees to DOU, after which it was officially confirmed by DVL representatives.
The company explains the need for cuts by two main factors:
- the presence of duplicate functions;
- the need to optimize business processes.
At the same time, the company guarantees that all employees who are to be made redundant will receive severance pay as required by Ukrainian law.
The exact number of employees to be laid off has not yet been disclosed.
DVL’s official commentary states that the company is currently in the process of creating a more efficient business model that should combine the operations of all three companies. This process includes reviewing and optimizing various aspects of operations: costs, business processes, IT systems, and organizational structure. The management emphasizes that all changes are being implemented in a way that maintains efficiency and quality of services for customers.
“…the merger of IT systems requires a partial review of the number of IT staff in the relevant area, but in general it does not exceed 15%. In such processes, the company complies with the requirements of the current legislation,”
– dVL said.
At the same time, they added that there are technical departments that will be recruiting specialists on the contrary.
“Some areas need to be optimized, some need to be expanded. In particular, the technical directorate is significantly expanding and recruiting more than 300 new employees due to the scaling of energy resilience projects, construction and modernization of the network,”
– the company said in a statement.
Читайте нас у Telegram: головні новини коротко
Who owns DVL
DVL Telecom is a subsidiary of the French investment company NJJ Capital. DVL’s name comes from the first letters of Datagroup, Volia and Lifecell, which merged after the completion of the acquisition in 2024.
Prior to the reorganization, Lifecell’s IT team reportedly employed approximately 250 specialists.
The process of forming the combined structure is expected to be completed in 2025. The company emphasizes that all organizational changes are made in compliance with the requirements of Ukrainian legislation.
NJJ Capital is an investment company founded in 2010 by French billionaire Xavier Niel, who is also the founder of the Iliad telecommunications group. NJJ Capital invests in various industries, including telecommunications, media, and technology.
The businessman is also the owner of Le Monde newspaper. Niel’s net worth is estimated at $10.4 billion.
Читайте нас у Telegram: головні новини коротко
