Sir Christopher Gent, Vodafone Group's former CEO, said he is stepping down as honorary life president of the embattled company because he wanted to avoid any controversy following speculation from the media that he wasn't happy with Vodafone's management. While saying such reports were not true, he gave a veiled indication of his opinions in a statement that read: "When I was an executive at Vodafone, relationships within the company and at Board level were characterized by openness and trust. We were mercifully free of company politics and blame culture." Article (Wall Street Journal sub. req.)