Six executives driving the development of the telecoms sector in Algeria: Azouaou Mehmel, Joseph Ged, Tamer el-Mahdy, Moussa Benhamadi, Ali Kahlane and Zohra Derdouri
Azouaou Mehmel
Position: President and chief executive officer (CEO), Algerie Telecom
Biography: Azouaou Mehmel was appointed president and CEO of state-owned Algerie Telecom in December 2009. In addition to developing and managing Algerias telephone and internet networks and hubs, the firm steers the policy for the telecoms sector. Mehmel has helped the company achieve this position through a policy of client-centric multimedia and social media-based innovation, and wide-ranging voice and data services covering the retail and business segments. Prior to his appointment as CEO, he held various positions within Algerie Telecom, including head of operations of Djaweb Business Services, its internet services division. Mehmel was also CEO of the firms mobile subsidiary Mobilis. Algerie Telecom plans to spend $1.4bn on connecting 2 million homes to high-speed internet and linking all towns of more than 1,000 people to fibre-optic networks.
Contact Tel: (+213) 2 182 3838
Joseph Ged
Position: CEO, Nedjma
Biography: Joseph Ged became CEO of Algerian mobile operator Nedjma, owned by Qatari operator Ooredoo, in September 2007, after being promoted to chief operating officer in January 2006. Ged was tasked with a strategic and operational remit covering the organisations marketing, sales, customer service, technical, IT, strategy and compliance departments. He joined Nedjma in May 2004 as chief technical officer (CTO), to lead the development of the companys network across Algerias 48 administrative regions, managing to set up 1,200 sites in less than 18 months. Before joining Nedjma, Ged held management roles in telecoms firms in Canada, the US and Brazil. He graduated with a bachelors degree in telecoms engineering from the American University in Beirut in 1991 and a masters degree in applied sciences in telecoms from the Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal in Canada in 1993.
Contact Tel: (+213) 5 500 0333
Tamer el-Mahdy
Position: CEO, Orascom Telecom Algerie (OTA)
Biography: Tamer el-Mahdy has been CEO of OTA since September 2008, with a mission to further develop the company and contribute to the growth of the telecoms sector in Algeria. OTA is part of Egypts Orascom Telecom Holdings (OTH) and has been operating a mobile network in Algeria, as well as providing a range of voice, data and multimedia services, since February 2002, under the Djezzy brand. As of December 2012, its market share was 55.2 per cent of total mobile subscribers in Algeria. El-Mahdy joined OTH in 2003 as CTO to develop the groups IT strategy, supporting and monitoring the technical development of its eight subsidiaries. He has 19 years experience in the telecoms industry, having held senior positions in several multinationals such as the US AT&T and Lucent Technologies (now Alcatel-Lucent). El-Mahdy has a masters degree in telecoms from the University of California in the US.
Contact Tel: (+213) 7 085 0000
Moussa Benhamadi
Position: Post, IT and Communications Minister
Biography: Moussa Benhamadi was appointed Alegrias post, IT and communications minister in 2010. Benhamadi sits on the national 2025 committee for town and country planning. He was named CEO of Algerie Telecom in 2008, and headed the national committee for e-learning from 2003 until his ministerial appointment. From 2002 to 2007, Benhamadi was the elected representative for Bordj Bou Arreridj in the lower house of parliament the Peoples National Assembly. In 1985, he founded the Centre for Research on Scientific and Technical Information (Cerist), which he headed until becoming a member of parliament. In 1993, Cerist became the countrys first internet provider. Benhamadi was Algerias representative to the International Atomic Energy Agencys International Nuclear Information System in 1981-96. He has a degree in IT engineering and is a qualified researcher in IT systems and networks.
Contact Tel: (+213) 2 171 1220
Ali Kahlane
Position: President, Algerian Association of Internet Providers (AAFSI)
Biography: Ali Kahlane is president of the AAFSI, with responsibility for promoting the internet in Algeria and cooperation between telecoms industry leaders. Kahlane also supported the creation of Touiza Telecoms, an industry association of broadband internet providers. He sits on the Algerian post, IT and communications ministrys permanent high council for research and development in information and communication technologies. Kahlane is also CEO of Satlinker, an internet services and technology provider. In 2011, he led his firm to offer cloud-based business solutions. In 1994, Kahlane introduced the first PC network and internet connection in Algeria and assisted in setting up the Algerian armys IT systems. He has a degree from the Ecole Nationale Superieure dInformatique in Algeria and a doctorate in IT from Brunel University in the UK.
Contact Tel: (+213) 2 154 1341
Zohra Derdouri
Position: President, Algerian Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPT)
Biography: Zohra Derdouri is president of the ARPT, an independent body in charge of promoting and ensuring competition in the Algerian telecoms markets, enforcing regulatory compliance, granting operating licences, defining pricing rules and arbitrating disputes. While teaching at university from 1978 to 2008, Derdouri held several administrative positions, including director of the National Institute of IT (now Ecole Nationale Superieure dInformatique) and director of the IT Institute at the Houari Boumedienne University of Science and Technology in Algiers. She also initiated and led a scheme that enabled the automation of university registrations for secondary school graduates at a national level. Derdouri has a masters degree in IT from the Houari Boumedienne University of Science and Technology and a doctorate in IT security.
Contact Tel: (+213) 2 147 0205
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