Augie K Fabela II

Chairman of the Board, VEON Founder

Augie K Fabela II is the Chairman of the Board and VEON Founder. He also serves as Chair of the Remuneration and Governance Committee and a Member of the Audit and Risk Committee. He has been an independent director and a lead director of VEON Ltd. since June 2022 and he previously served as Chairman of the Board of VEON Ltd. from June 2011 to December 2012 and in 1994 to 2002.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Augie's entrepreneurial spirit was evident from an early age. He established his first business, a neighborhood newspaper delivery route, at the age of 13, and began working in his father’s engineering business at 15. He attended Stanford University, graduating in 1987 with a Master’s degree in International Policy Studies and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, completing both degrees within four years.

After graduating, Augie spent two years in Tokyo working for Japan's largest mass media conglomerate, Fujisankei Group. At 22, he returned to the United States to start his own international marketing business. Over the next few years, he founded and led several successful companies, including Maestro, an international marketing consulting company; TDF Corp, an information technology consulting firm; SIGMA, a variable workforce employment agency; FGI Wireless Ltd, a technology private investment company; and Plexsys International (a.k.a. Comsat RSI Wireless), an American mobile network equipment manufacturer.

In 1991, Augie, at 25, traveled to the Soviet Union to explore sales opportunities for selling Plexsys mobile network systems. He did not sell a single system, but instead he identified a significant opportunity for establishing a mobile communications company after he met Dr. Dmitri B. Zimin, a senior scientist at MAK Vimpel--a Soviet defense contractor. Despite numerous challenges, including that they didn't speak each other's language, they shared a vision of establishing a start-up mobile communications company in Russia. In 1992, they founded VimpelCom, now known as VEON, starting with just thirteen employees and under the motto "Freedom to Talk". Augie and Dr. Zimin, 58, combined their strengths to build a greenfield independent company characterized by an entrepreneurial and "pioneering spirit".

One year after its founding, VEON launched its first test commercial network, limiting sales to 1,000 mobile phones to ensure high service quality. The commercial service was branded BEELINE, a brand name created by Augie to convey a youthful and fun image. This brand eventually grew to be valued at $8 billion by BusinessWeek/Interbrand in 2007. Augie's role as Chief Operating Officer and later as Chairman of the Board were instrumental in VEON’s early success. His expertise in marketing, customer care, and finance laid a foundation of excellence that persists today.

In November 1995, Augie and Dr. Zimin decided to take VEON public. The initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange took place on November 15, 1996, making VEON the first mobile communications firm to ever list on the NYSE. At 30, Augie became the youngest Chairman (still to date) of any NYSE-listed company. Under his leadership, VEON achieved multiple groundbreaking capital markets transactions, including the acquisition of Orascom in 2012, which doubled VEON’s revenue to $24 billion and increased its market capitalization to $42 billion, with 60,000 employees worldwide across 22 countries.

Augie was named Chairman Emeritus after stepping down as Chairman in 2002 to focus on his family. In this role, he has continued to provide valuable advice and strategic insights to VEON’s management and Board. He remains active in business policy and corporate governance, serving as a member of the World Economic Forum and a founding member of its Global Chairmen Community. Augie is also a dedicated philanthropist. He and his wife founded the Fabela Family Foundation, supporting Christian initiatives, education, and law enforcement programs.

Returning to his entrepreneurial roots, Augie founded FastForward.ai, a Silicon Valley start-up offering E-commerce-as-a-Service (EaaS) to large enterprise customers, such as Abbott, Cargill, L'Oreal, Rolex, Prada, et.al. Since 2019, Augie has served as a Board director and member of the Finance Committee at Shareability, Inc., a social media brand agency. 

As part of his civic contributions, Augie decided to become a Certified Police Officer in Illinois, graduating from the Police Academy in 2011. He furthered his training by becoming a certified SWAT operator in 2012 after attending the SWAT Academy. Augie has trained with elite law enforcement and military units, including the FBI’s HRT, Seal Team 6, and Delta operators. He served as Commander of Special Operations at Winthrop Harbor Police Department, overseeing the SWAT Unit, the Homicide Task Force, and was a Commander of the Police AirOne Emergency Response Helicopter Unit. Additionally, he served as a Commander at the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Augie remains on active duty and currently serves as a Special Assistant to the Sheriff in the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in Chicago, with the rank of Chief. In this role, he reorganized and oversaw the Fugitive Central Warrant Unit and led the Chicago Violence Reduction Mission, which reduced shootings and homicides by an average of 30% every year for four consecutive years.

Augie authored "DECIDE, Tactical Crisis Decision Making: A Framework for Law Enforcement," a book focused on enhancing tactical and crisis decision-making training for police officers and law enforcement commanders. All proceeds from the book are donated to law enforcement activities.

Augie is also a #1 best-selling author of "The Impatience Economy: How Social Media Changes Everything". www.impatienceeconomy.com

As a proven serial entrepreneur, best-selling author, and innovative leader, Augie has made significant contributions to global business and corporate governance. He has served as a founding member of the Chairmen's Community of the World Economic Forum, demonstrating his commitment to thought leadership and innovation. As a VEON Founder (formerly VimpelCom), Augie continues to embody and inspire the pioneering spirit that defines the company, emphasizing its core values of being customer-obsessed, entrepreneurial, innovative, collaborative, and truthful. His ongoing leadership and vision continue to drive VEON’s success and growth in the global market.

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