VEON (formerly VimpelCom), a NASDAQ and Euronext Amsterdam-listed global provider of connectivity and internet services, has appointed Josh Drew as group chief compliance officer and a member of VEON's executive management team. He will report directly to VEON Chief Executive Officer Jean-Yves Charlier.

Drew joined VEON in July 2016 as associate general counsel and was most recently acting group chief compliance officer. In the latter role, Drew was responsible for leading a team of compliance professionals across all of VEON's operating markets to establish and implement an effective compliance program, while also advising senior management on core compliance, risk, and governance issues.

In his role as group chief compliance officer, Drew will continue to lead and develop VEON's implementation of an effective compliance program, driving a culture of integrity and upholding the highest ethical standards. 

Prior to joining VEON, he was vice president and associate general counsel for over five years at Hewlett-Packard Enterprise and Hewlett-Packard, with responsibility for investigations and anti-corruption compliance.

In February 2016, then-VimpelCom and its wholly owned Uzbek subsidiary, Unitel, entered into resolutions with the U.S. government agencies and agreed to pay more than $795 million in total fines and penalties after various executives and employeespaid bribes to an Uzbek government official to enter and continue operating in the Uzbek telecommunications market. The companies structured and concealed the bribes through various payments to a shell company that certain VimpelCom and Unitel management knew was beneficially owned by the foreign official. In total, VimpelCom paid more than $114 million in bribery payments between 2006 and 2012.

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