Kalaam forms advisory board in growth push: Bahrain

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Kalaam Telecom, one of the top three data service providers in the Mena region, has announced a new four-member independent advisory board following the acquisition and expansion strategy of the company.

Comprising Delta Partners founding partner Javier Alvarez, Middle East Venture Partners managing partner and chief exit officer Rabih Khoury, Ennoventure chief commercial officer John Lincoln and Yousif Ahmed, the former chief operating officer of Gulf Net and Quality Net, Kuwait, the board will be crucial to Kalaam’s growth with the members bringing in their independent perspectives to support the company’s region-wide digital transformation drive for enterprises and M&A strategy.

Mr Alvarez is an expert strategy consultant and a corporate finance expert, advising C-level executives and board level clients of leading telecom operators, digital players and media companies in Mena and Europe.

He ensures Kalaam has a strong corporate governance framework in place and advises on corporate finance, value creation strategies and ROI optimisation to sustain its regional growth as a strong enterprise player.

Being a venture capitalist with extensive telecom M&A experience, Mr Khoury adds valuable perspectives on organic growth opportunities including acquisitions and exit strategies to the board.

Kalaam has extended its legacy witnessing robust growth to become a full stack innovative digital solutions provider to underpin the regions digital economy.

The recent acquisition of Zajil Telecom, Kuwait’s leading telecom player creates a strong regional footprint for Kalaam as a competitive B2B regional operator.

Mr Lincoln is a B2B commercial leader with global operating experience with major multinational brands like AT&T, Softbank, Vodafone, Fidelity, Airtel, Etisalat and Mobily.

He brings extensive operational and leadership perspective to the table, besides the latest trends in technology and go-to market strategies to support Kalaam.

A telecom veteran with experience across all the domains of the industry from engineering, sales, management and strategic consultancy, Mr Ahmed brings valuable experience in terms of regional competition and strategic relations to elevate Kalaam’s regional operations.

“With the new executive team on board, Kalaam is excited to embark on a new journey in its growth trajectory and expansion into new markets like Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait, besides Bahrain with cutting-edge digital solutions, while investing in human capital to further solidify its position in the Mena ecosystem,” said Kalaam Group chairman Nezar Al Saie.

“The advisory board will continue to enhance the company’s focus on digital transformation and help Kalaam strengthen our regional footprint in being the top three digital solutions provider and also further expand our global reach.”

As Kalaam is witnessing robust growth in the region, the investment in formation of an advisory board is an important step towards its long-term growth strategy and creates additional value for the group as the new board brings proven track records, industry expertise and will be pivotal in shaping the sustainable growth path that Kalaam is on.