Two major European operators announced new CEOs this week, though Telecom Italia and Telefonica are playing it safe in their choices. The Italian company’s CEO Marco Patuano resigned last week and has been succeeded by Flavio Cattaneo, currently head of Italian railway company NTV and already a TI board member. Although the latter role will have given him insights into the telecoms business, this is his first senior management role in the sector, indicating that the company has prioritized overall executive experience and the ability to bring a fresh take on the challenging decisions facing TI – from quad play and consolidation challenges in its home market, to turbulence in its Latin American territories. However, it raises concerns that, as…