Etisalat appoints Hatem Dowidar as its new group CEO

Etisalat's previous CEO Saleh Al Abdooli left the company earlier this year

Etisalat's net profit rose to Dh2.4bn in the third quarter to September 30. Courtesy Etisalat

Etisalat, the UAE's biggest telecoms company, appointed Hatem Dowidar as its new group chief executive, the company said.

In May, Mr Dowidar was appointed as acting group chief executive after Etisalat's long serving chief executive Saleh Al Abdooli stepped down for personal reasons.

Mr Dowidar joined Etisalat in September 2015, having previously worked as Vodafone Group's chief of staff in London. He became chief executive of Etisalat's international business in March 2016.

He initially joined Vodafone Egypt in 1999 as marketing director and became its chief executive in 2009.

"Mr Dowidar has a long track record of achievements in the various leadership positions he held at Vodafone Group and its subsidiaries … he brings 30 years of experience in multinational companies … more than 24 of these within the telecommunications industry," Etisalat said in a statement on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, where its shares trade.

“He has extensive corporate governance experience from his representation as chairman and board member in several corporate boards within and outside the telecommunications industry.”

Mr Dowidar also sits on the boards of Etisalat's subsidiaries in Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan.

Etisalat, which is majority owned by the government, in October reported a 6 per cent year-on-year rise in third quarter net profit to Dh2.4 billion. Meanwhile, revenue rose marginally by 0.5 per cent to reach Dh13bn.

Its subscriber base in the UAE grew to 12.1 million during the period.