Page 18 - SAMENA Trends - February 2022

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Etisalat Makes Key Leadership Appointments to Drive Growth Across Its

Operations

Etisalat Group announced the appointment industry digital experts, assets and plat- in Etisalat’s first move into growing digital
of Mikhail Gerchuk as CEO - International forms with a unique service and operating adjacencies, leading the deployment of
and Khalifa Hassan Al Forah Al Shamsi as model, providing end-to-end digital verti- mobile services, fibre-based broadband
CEO - Etisalat Consumer Digital. Report- cal propositions to enable smarter devel- and advanced data services. He has held
ing to Hatem Dowidar - Etisalat Group opments, education, healthcare, transpor- several leadership positions within Etisalat
CEO, Gerchuk and Al Shamsi will help se- tation and a smarter economy. It has a Group, including Head of Mobile Networks,
cure the organization’s growth mandate. successful track record in delivering large Chief Marketing Offices and Chief Digital
Gerchuk will be responsible for providing digital projects and solutions by providing Officer. His role in building the business
comprehensive direction to develop and comprehensive services in consultancy, unit ‘Etisalat Digital Services’ was para-
implement the international telco strategy business modeling, solutions design, pro- mount to generating new revenue streams
and the accompanying long-term plans gram management, execution, delivery and accelerating business growth. In his
needed for practical, maintaining growth and post-implementation support and previous role as the Group Chief Corpo-
across international operations. Al Sham- operation services. These appointments rate Strategy & Governance Officer, he was
si’s appointment is part of Etisalat Group’s are a testament to Etisalat’s commitment a key contributor to the vision and future
ongoing digital transformation strategy to to accelerate digital transformation and strategic priorities of Etisalat Group. With
significantly expand Etisalat’s digital port- provide outstanding customer experiences over 20 years of experience in the telecoms
folio by growing the existing business, as while investing in and empowering its UAE industry, Gerchuk has held several notable
well as capturing new opportunities in the national capabilities to excel in their career leadership roles with Vodafone, MTS, and
consumer market, through its new dedi- path of choice. Where Etisalat Enterprise VEON, covering marketing, product and
cated vertical – Etisalat Consumer Digital. Digital is focused on the strategic growth services development, and launching new
The announcement follows the appoint- of its digital offerings to cater to the needs business segments. In his most recent
ment of Salvador Anglada as the CEO of of its enterprise customers, Etisalat Con- role, he was the Senior Advisor – Telecom,
Etisalat Enterprise Digital in November sumer Digital will expand its digital port- Media and Technology Practice – at McK-
2021, to drive digital transformation by en- folio in the consumer market. Al Shamsi insey & Company, London. Before that, he
abling enterprises and governments to be- began his career with Etisalat spanning was the VEON CEO for the Eurasia region,
come smarter through the use of the latest nearly three decades and has a proven where he was instrumental in successful-
technologies such as Cloud, Cyber Securi- track record in telecom and digital services ly turning around the decline in business
ty, Internet of Things (IoT) and AI. Etisalat backed by a solid commercial and techni- revenue and achieving strong growth, thus
Enterprise Digital brings together the best cal background. He has had a solid hand increasing profitability dramatically.

CITC Grants ‘Best User Experience Award 2021’

to Mobily

The Communications and Information
Technology Commission (CITC), the
Kingdom's 'fifth generation' digital
regulator, has announced that Mobily has
won the Best User Experience Award for
2021. The award is granted on an annual
basis to one of the Kingdom's telecoms
operators as a means of encouraging
competition and raising levels of customer
service. Speaking at the global technology
conference LEAP22, which is taking place
in Riyadh from 1 to 3 February, H.E. Dr.
Muhammad bin Saud Al-Tamimi, Governor
of the CITC, underlined the importance of
the award: “Through this award CITC aims
to improve the quality of users' experience

18 FEBRUARY 2022