Telecom operator VEON Ltd. on Dec. 13 appointed Ursula Burns as chairman and CEO, effective immediately.

Burns previously held the roles of executive chairman and supervisory board chairman in the Dutch company. She sits on the board of ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc. and was also CEO at copier company Xerox Corp.

The appointment comes months after Jean-Yves Charlier stepped down as VEON's chief executive in March.