The board of directors of the Emirates Telecommunications Group Company (Etisalat Group) has appointed  Saleh Abdullah Al Abdooli as the chief executive officer of the group.

With the restructuring, Al Abdooli will now manage the company’s international operations as well as the local UAE operations.

Al Abdooli has over 25 years of experience in the telecommunication sector and a career dotted with major accomplishments, most notably the successful establishment of Etisalat Misr in Egypt. His leadership years as CEO of Etisalat Misr was a great success story in the telecom industry and earned him a reputation as leader of one of the best third entrants in mobile operation worldwide, a statement said.

He achieved remarkable results in the mature Egyptian market dominated by other telecom providers, gaining a strong foothold as one of the leading telecom companies in the country, it added.

In 2012, he returned to the UAE as CEO of Etisalat UAE – one of the most important operations in the region that was also undergoing intense competition.

Etisalat UAE has since achieved several successes and breakthroughs across all fronts including financial, marketing, technical and infrastructure with Al Abdooli being at the helm of the company. In 2015, he was named as the second ‘most powerful’ executive among top 50 executives in Arab companies (Global 2000) according to Forbes Middle East ranking.

He is one of the first Emirati engineers to have earned a Master’s Degree in Telecommunications Technology in 1992 from the University of Colorado, US, after completing his Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering from the same university.

In addition to his newly appointed position, he is also the deputy chairman of the board of directors, chairman of the executive committee for Etisalat Misr, chairman of Etisalat Services Holding Company and chairman of Thuraya. He was most recently appointed as Etisalat’s representative in Mobily’s board of directors. - TradeArabia News Service