UAE-based telecommunication giant Etisalat Group has announced the appointment of a new chief executive officer (CEO), media reports said. The telco has appointed Hatem Dowidar as their new chief. Hatem Dowidar took over the company on December 16th and has 30 years of experience in multinational companies.
Dowidar was temporarily promoted to the role of International CEO in May when Saleh Al Abdooli left citing personal reasons. Dowidar joined Etisalat in 2015 and took over the role of Group COO. Previously, he held a number of roles across Vodafone Group and its subsidiaries in Malta and Egypt. He also served as the group chief of staff for Vodafone based in London, reporting to Vodafone Group CEO.
Last month, it was reported that Etisalat is partnering with Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company Ericsson to expand its 5G coverage in the region. Etisalat has selected Ericsson to implement Ericsson’s Advanced 5G Radio and 5G Core network, including User Data Management (UDM).
In this regard, Haitham Abdulrazzak, chief technology officer at Etisalat told the media, “Etisalat continuously strives for innovative solutions to bring value to our customers. Being recognised as the world’s fastest mobile network operator by Ookla in 2020, 5G will act as an important infrastructure in realising the digital future, boosting investment in the country and driving the knowledge economy.”
Earlier this year, Etisalat completed the acquisition of leading German information security services, consultancy and solutions provider Help AG, according to media reports. The deal to buy Help AG will help Etisalat become more resilient and protect its cloud, IoT, AI, and big data line of business against sophisticated cyber threats.