Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar

Company:Etisalat
Position: Chief executive officer (CEO)

Biography: Since becoming CEO of Etisalat in 2011, Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar has brought in more change than might be expected from someone who has been at the company since 1986. Julfar has replaced the heads of Etisalat’s local and Egyptian divisions and installed new heads of strategy, marketing and finance.

He has also started a complete review of the firm’s operations, including a spate of acquisitions over the past decade that cost $13bn in total, in many cases are not yet profitable and are now recognised as being overpriced.

Julfar must also cope with the impending opening up of the UAE fixed-line telecoms network to enable direct competition from rival Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (Du). Before becoming CEO, he was chief operating officer at Etisalat. Julfar has degrees in civil engineering and computer science, both from Gonzaga University of Washington in the US. 

Contact Tel: (+971) 2 628 3333
Website: www.etisalat.com