Dubai, UAE, 20 May 2013: du today announced the induction of Hana Al Rostamani to its Board of Directors as per a nomination by shareholder Emirates Investment Authority as a representative to replace Younis Al Khoori. The Board will convene for a meeting on Monday, 3 June 2013, to ratify Hanas appointment.

As a senior leader and a UAE national with a wealth of experience across key business sectors, Hana will apply her experience in providing strategic leadership and guidance as du continues its growth story in telecom.

Ahmad Bin Byat, Chairman of du, said: On behalf of du and the Board, I would also like to thank Younis for his invaluable contribution as a Vice Chairman of du,and wish him continued success. We are pleased to welcome Hana onto the Board of Directors. I am confident that she will prove to be a strong board member capable of making significant contributions to du, with her strong business expertise and experience. Her knowledge of organizational transformation and change will prove vital as du enters its next phase of growth and further cement dus reputation in implementing corporate governance best practices.

Hana Al Rostamani has more than 15 years of experience in the field of core business sectors, especially banking and financial services. In her current role as the Head of Strategy and Planning at First Gulf Bank, a leading financial institution in the UAE, Hana is responsible for developing and defining the banks strategic direction in areas such as Corporate, Retail, Investment, Islamic, and International Banking. She is also responsible for initiatives on organizational change and transformation, such as engagement and customer centricity.  Her banking experience includes areas such as corporate communication, brand management, product development, branch management, consumer credit policies and operation, which included consumer behavioral scoring and customer portfolio analysis. She was appointed in 2012 as chairperson of the Board of Aseel Finance Company, an associate finance company of First Gulf Bank.  Shes also a member of the Dubai Art Board of Directors.

Hanas appointment is in-line with the UAE leaderships encouragement to appoint more women to Boards, as an empowering move that allows them to have a strong presence in decision-making positions. du fully supports this and has a dedicated strategy to empower women. Clear examples of dus efforts to empower women including the appointment of Hanan Ahmad as dus Company Secretary in 2012, taking up a pivotal role in the companys Corporate Governance and Board Relations team; also in 2012, Hala Badri, dus Executive Vice President of Brand and Communications, was appointed by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, as a Board Member for Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI).

du was placed number one in the S&P/Hawkamah Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) Index 2011.

About du
We opened for business in 2006. We offer mobile and fixed telephony, broadband connectivity and IPTV services to individuals, homes and businesses. We also provide carrier services for businesses and satellite up/downlink services for TV broadcasters.

As a rapidly-growing enterprise, we have a team of experts working to enhance and expand our bouquet of service offerings. Our people come from over 60 countries - we mirror the rich cultural diversity of our nation, while being able to serve our customers in a variety of languages.

Over 50% of our senior management team and customer-facing employees are UAE nationals, and we remain committed to providing fulfilling opportunities for quality talent in a cosmopolitan working environment.

By the end of 2012, more than 6.45 million people and over 50,000 businesses have chosen to use our services. In a survey conducted by ARC Chart, we were named the Best Mobile Broadband Network 2012 in the Middle East and Africa region. We also ranked first in MENAs Standard & Poor/Hawkamah Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Index in 2011.

du is 39.5 percent owned by Emirates Investment Authority, 20.081 percent by Mubadala Development Company PJSC, 19.5 percent by Emirates Communications and Technology LLC and the remaining stake by public shareholders. du is listed on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and trades under the name du.

For further information, please contact:
Saugat Chatterjee
Public Relations Manager
Brand & Communications
du
Mobile: +971 55 9367045
Email: saugat.chatterjee@du.ae

Reka Sepsy
LeoComm PR
Tel: +971 4 367 6154
Mobile: +971 55 220 68 20
Fax: +971 4 367 2615
Email: reka.sepsy@leocommpr.com

Press Release 2013