Vodafone Group today announced the appointment of a new chief executive for Europe.

Vodafone Group announced today that Gavin Darby, currently Chief Executive of Vodafone UK, has been appointed chief executive Americas Region with effect from April 1, 2004.

The chief operating officer of Vodafone Group has slammed a proposal by the Irish telecom watchdog, ComReg, to force the UK mobile operator to open up its network to rivals.

Vodafone bosses have awarded themselves a massive pay boost, with the group's chief executive winning a 407% pay rise.