OREANDA-NEWS. January 10, 2012.  VimpelCom Ltd. (“VimpelCom” or “the Company”) (NYSE: VIP) today announces that Bobby Leach has joined the Company as Group Director Communications, reporting to Rob Conway, Chief of International Affairs for VimpelCom. Bobby will be responsible for communications at group level, including internal communications and media relations.

 Bobby has considerable experience of the global telecommunications sector, having previously worked for Vodafone Group since 2001, where he was appointed Group Communications Director in 2008. Prior to Vodafone, he worked in consultancy for some 15 years, latterly with Weber Shandwick.

“Bobby’s experience, industry knowledge and strategic understanding of the telecommunications sector will be of great value to VimpelCom, with our unique footprint covering four continents and nineteen countries, and an exciting balance of customers from developing and more mature markets,” said Rob Conway. “We are looking forward to working with Bobby to enhance our relationships in the communities and countries we serve.”