Saleh Al Abdooli Appointed CEO for Etisalat UAE

Etisalat Group announced today that Emirates Telecommunications Corporation – Etisalat Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Saleh Al Abdooli as Chief Executive Officer for Etisalat UAE, the largest company of Etisalat Group that generates more than 70{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} of the total of revenue of the Group, effective 8th 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, one of the largest and most successful subsidiaries of Etisalat Group. 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).
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{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} of the population in Egypt with its 2G/3G networks and leads the market in 3G Broadband subscriber.
Prior to his role in Egypt, Al Abdooli held a wide range of executive positions in Etisalat UAE where he had always been a high achiever. He held the position of General Manager for network development and was responsible for all activities and projects related to network development and future technological strategy of Etisalat in addition to the operation and maintenance of GSM and 3G networks. Likewise, he played a prominent role in paving the way for Etisalat Group’s overseas expansion. He chaired technical committees responsible for developing and designing GSM networks for Etisalat subsidiaries in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Afghanistan.
Commenting on Saleh Al Abdooli’s appointment as CEO of Etisalat UAE, Mohamed Hassan Omran, Chairman of Board of Directors of Emirates Telecommunications Corporation – Etisalat, said: “Saleh Al Abdooli is the best choice for this position and we are fortunate to have a leader of his caliber. We need his tried and true experience and his great ability to make the right decision at the right time for the right reason. I am confident that with his demonstrated leadership abilities and his uncompromising discipline, Saleh Al Abdooli will take Etisalat UAE to a new level of performance.”
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 transform 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