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Augie Fabela
VEON Group, Chairman & VEON Founder
Speaker Bio
Augie K. Fabela II is a pioneering entrepreneur, best‑selling author, and global leader in telecommunications and digital innovation. He is the Founder and Chairman of VEON Ltd., a NASDAQ‑listed digital operator providing connectivity and digital services to more than 160 million customers across its markets, with networks covering approximately 520 million people worldwide.
At age 25, Augie founded VEON and led it to become the first mobile communications company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 1996. At 30, he became the youngest‑ever Chairman of an NYSE‑listed company, a distinction he still holds. Under his leadership, VEON grew into one of the world’s largest independent telecom groups, at its peak employing more than 60,000 people globally and reaching a valuation of approximately $42 billion.
In 2022, Augie returned to the VEON Board and became Chairman at a critical moment for the company. Under his Chairmanship, VEON led the historic NASDAQ listing of Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest digital operator, marking the first time a Ukrainian company accessed U.S. public capital markets.
During this period, VEON also relocated its global headquarters to the United Arab Emirates, aligning the company with a leading global hub for capital markets, innovation, and the digital economy. Today, VEON is the largest NASDAQ‑listed company headquartered in Dubai, with a current market capitalization of approximately $3.6 billion. Since Augie’s return as Chairman, VEON’s share price has grown +607% from $7.53 to $53.21.
Beyond VEON, Augie is the Executive Chairman and Founder of FastForward.ai, a Silicon Valley‑based E‑commerce‑as‑a‑Service (EaaS) company enabling global brands to engage digitally with consumers in real time. He is also the best‑selling author of The Impatience Economy and the author of DECIDE: Tactical Crisis Decision Making.
Augie is also committed to public service. In 2010, he became a certified law enforcement officer and has served with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in Chicago, where he currently holds the rank of Chief and has led units including Special Operations and SWAT. Through the Fabela Family Foundation, which he co‑founded with his wife, he supports education and law‑enforcement‑related initiatives.