• Home
• Telecoms & IT
• News Article

Saleh Al Abdooli Appointed CEO for Etisalat UAE and Al Hamli for Etisalat Misr

Abu Dhabi, 1 February 2012 - Etisalat Group announced today that Etisalat Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Saleh Al Abdooli as Chief Executive Officer for Etisalat UAE and Mr. Saeed Al Hamli as Chief Executive Officer for Etisalat Misr , one of the largest and the most successful subsidiaries of Etisalat Group, effective April 2012.

A strong leader with a proven track record, Saleh Al Abdooli has been for the past five years the CEO of Etisalat Misr . His leadership years in the Egyptian market have been a great success story in the telecom industry and have earned him a great reputation and several international awards as a leader of one of the best third entrants in mobile operation worldwide. He has achieved remarkable results in the mature Egyptian market that had been dominated for about a decade by a duopoly of two giant operators, Vodafone and Orange (Mobinil).

His Excellency Mohamed Omran, Chairman of Etisalat, said:" Etisalat Group enjoys a wealth of experienced leaders that achieved series of great successes starting since it has started expanding into international investment back in 2004. Etisalat also has invested heavily and continuously in the development of its human capital which is the cornerstone of its success. Today the number of UAE nationals employed in Etisalat's foreign operations exceeds 70 UAE citizens. "

Omran also stressed that the Etisalat Group utilizes flexible restructuring strategy to reflect the challenging and changing markets conditions.

Al Abdooli has succeeded in breaking the duopoly in the Egyptian market decisively and transforming the industry into a field for innovative competition. He has demonstrated a great ability to meet and exceed challenging business objectives in an extremely tough business environment. Despite the fierce competition, he has led Etisalat Misr from a startup operator to a full-fledged competitor that leads the market in technology, innovation, and growth and sets the standards for competition to adopt and follow. In less five years of operation, Etisalat Misr today covers 99% of the populated areas in Egypt with its 2G/3G networks and leads the market in 3G Broadband subscriber.

Commenting on Saleh Al Abdooli's appointment as CEO of Etisalat UAE, H.E. Mohamed Omran, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Etisalat, said: "Saleh Al Abdooli is the best choice for this position.I am confident that with his demonstrated leadership abilities, Saleh Al Abdooli will take Etisalat UAE to a new level of performance."

H.E. Ahmed Julfar, Etisalat Group CEO, said: "Saleh Al Abdooli is assuming his new role as CEO of Etisalat UAE at a time when the company needs to continue its innovative leadership and fortify its competitive position in the UAE market. His great execution skills combined with his strong ability to motivate, lead, and improve customer services will be very much needed at the helm of Etisalat UAE."

Saleh Al Abdooli said: "I am honored and excited to lead Etisalat UAE. Having successfully accomplished my mission in Egypt, I am glad to move to a greater challenge in the UAE and use my experience and expertise to serve my home country. My primary objectives in my new role will be to achieve a high level of staff engagement, better customer experience, and greater value for shareholders."

Saleh Al Abdooli is a graduate of University of Colorado at Boulder, USA, where he established a brilliant academic record and got his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and his Master's degree in Telecommunications with honor: GPA 3.99/4.0

Commenting on Al Hamli's appointment as CEO of Etisalat Misr Julfar added: "Saeed is one of the great Etisalat leaders with a proven track record. He is the right person for the Egyptian. Al Hamli, who comes from diverse technical and commercial backgrounds, enjoys more than 20 years of experience in the telecom industry. Since he joined Etisalat in 1991, he has held a range of managerial and executive positions and demonstrated remarkable performance."

Al Hamli has worked both inside and outside the UAE, a diverse exposure that has enriched his knowledge of the industry in various competitive business environments. From 2007 to 2011, he worked as the CEO of Etisalat Afghanistan where he achieved excellent business and operational results.

Commenting on Al Hamli's appointment as CEO of Etisalat Misr , Mohamed Omran, Chairman of Etisalat, said: "Saeed Al Hamil has the right international experience to assume his new role and to continue the remarkable performance of Etisalat Misr in the Egyptian market."

Al Hamli said: "It is an honor to be appointed CEO of Etisalat Misr at this interesting time in the history of Egypt. I will capitalize on the great success story of the company to achieve new breakthroughs and take the company to a new level of performance."

Al Hamli holds Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Florida Institute of Technology, USA and Executive Master of Business Administration degree from the American University of Sharjah.

Etisalat enjoys a wealth of experienced leaders. Mr. Nasser bin Obood previously held the position of Acting CEO. During that period he demonstrated great determination and commitment in completing strategic projects and achievements such as Etisalat's nationwide fibre optic network.

Etisalat's Board of Directors commended Mr. Nasser's efforts during his role as Acting CEO and will announce his new leadership role soon.

-Ends-

© Press Release 2012