EIRCOM HAS named Herb Hribar as its new chief executive, replacing outgoing chief executive Paul Donovan.

In March, Mr Donovan said renewing his contract with Eircom would have required a new “multi-year commitment which I am not in a position to make”.

He joined Eircom in July 2009, having spent a number of years with Vodafone, including a spell in charge of its Irish arm.

Mr Hribar has extensive experience within the telecommunications industry, having previously served as president of Ameritech Wireless in the US; managing director of Kabel Deutschland, Europe’s largest cable operator; and chief operating officer of Cablecom in Switzerland.

Meanwhile, the company has also appointed Richard Moat as chief financial officer. He previously worked as managing director of T-Mobile in the UK before becoming deputy chief executive and chief financial officer of Everything Everywhere.

“Herb and Richard join Eircom at an exciting time, with a recently restructured balance sheet and reduced debt. Herb will lead the continued transformation of Eircom, including the investment in our fibre network that will support new high-bandwidth products to further position the business for the future,” said Eircom chairman Ned Sullivan.

Eircom exited examinership in June with the creation of a new holding company owned entirely by the group’s lenders and carrying 40 per cent less debt.

Eircom Group sought court protection from its creditors in a process known as examinership in March.