Etisalat appoints Ahmad Julfar as Group CEO

Etisalat Board of directors has appointed Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar as group chief executive officer. The appointment comes as part of a new expansion phase that will see Etisalat strengthen its position globally.
Mr. Julfar joined Etisalat in 1986 and has  played several roles till he has been appointed as  Etisalat’s chief operating officer in  2006. He had previously served as the general manager for Dubai operations, in addition to various other managerial positions.
Commenting on the appointment, Mohammed Omran, chairman of Etisalat said: “The appointment of Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar as group CEO will bring further impetus to the realization of the Etisalat Group strategy as it aims to become one of the world’s leading telecommunications companies.
“Ahmad has played a significant part in Etisalat’s growth over a quarter of a century, assuming many senior technical and managerial responsibilities with great determination and success. We are confident that his new role at the group’s helm he will lead it through the important phase ahead, bolstering its expansion beyond 18 countries.” added Omran.
In 2004, Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar became one of the first graduates of the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Establishment for Young Business Leaders.
Apart from his current duties, Julfar serves on the board of two of Etisalat’s international subsidiaries: Mobily of Saudi Arabia, where he is the chairman of the Risk Management Committee; and Excelcomindo of Indonesia, where he is a member of the Compensation and Remuneration Committee.
In his first statement following the appointment, Julfar said: “The telecommunications sector has the ability to give people the tools to change their lives for the better, transform social development and contribute to economic development, especially in emerging markets.
“Etisalat has a huge potential for growth at a global level and this is one of our key objectives. Meanwhile, in our home market of the UAE, we will continue the pursuit of ensuring that our subscribers have access to the most advanced technology available in the world, and to do it we have adopted a segmented approach to make sure that particular needs of different demographic and business sectors were considered. All these and many more initiatives within the UAE ensure that the corporation remains the market leader. I am really honored to lead this phase of the Group, working with local teams and partners to build on the remarkable success and achievements throughout the 18 countries in which we operate,” he added.
Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar holds two degrees in Civil Engineering and Computer Science from the Gonzaga University in Washington, USA.