Ericsson has announced that Per Narvinger will succeed Börje Ekholm as president and CEO on September 30, 2026. Ekholm, who has held the position since 2017, will step down from the Board of Directors in October and serve as an executive advisor to Narvinger until June 2027.
Narvinger, an Ericsson veteran who has spent his entire professional career at the company, currently serves as the head of the business area networks division, a role he assumed in March 2025. He previously led the cloud software and services division.
In a statement, Ekholm noted that he took over the company during a period of significant external competition and internal restructuring. He stated that Ericsson has since transformed into a global communications and technology leader. Ekholm described the company as leading the industry into the physical AI era, which involves changing how networks are used and commercialized. He expressed confidence that Narvinger is the right leader to continue this development.
Narvinger described the appointment as an honor and highlighted the pivotal nature of the current industry moment. He stated that as artificial intelligence continues to industrialize, advanced connectivity solutions will become increasingly necessary. Narvinger credited Ericsson employees for cementing technology leadership and expressed his intention to provide continued value to customers.
The company’s Board characterized the transition as occurring at a pivotal time for repositioning the firm to capitalize on the emerging physical AI era. Ekholm’s tenure involved expanding into enterprise software and network APIs to make networks more flexible for developers. This strategy included the acquisition of Vonage, which has been described as expensive and resulted in lackluster growth in the enterprise segment.
Given Narvinger’s background, it appears unlikely that he will dramatically change the company’s direction. He has long supported Ericsson’s research and development efforts, including cloud offerings and purpose-built 5G silicon. These technologies are viewed as vital for meeting the real-time demands of the physical AI era. Narvinger’s appointment signals continuity, but his deep technical pedigree will be tested as the company seeks to turn its AI ambitions into sustainable growth.
