Biography: Essa al-Haddad joined Etisalat more than 25 years ago, starting his career in the network planning section of the engineering department. He moved through the project implementation and technology strategy development departments to become executive vice-president of engineering. Al-Haddad was appointed chief marketing officer in May 2006 to develop the company’s marketing strategy with the goal of making Etisalat a customer-focused operation. He has since been promoted to chief commercial officer, where he works under chief executive officer Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar. Al-Haddad is also chairman of Etisalat Nigeria, and a board member of Etisalat DB in India. Based in Abu Dhabi, Etisalat is one of the largest telecoms companies in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.

Contact Tel: (+971) 2 628 3333

Biography: Krishnan Kumar joined STC as CFO in May 2012. Previously, he worked as CFO at Olam International, a Singapore-based agricultural commodities company, where he oversaw the accounting, corporate affairs and strategic investment functions of the group. Kumar worked at Olam for more than 20 years in various managerial positions, the last 14 years at its corporate headquarters in Singapore. Kumar has a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Delhi in India and a degree in cost accountancy from the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India. In 1990, he graduated with a postgraduate diploma in business management from Xavier Labour Relations Institute in India. In 2009, Kumar completed the advanced management programme from Harvard Business School in the US.

Contact Tel: (+966) 1 452 7000

Biography: Abdulaziz al-Tamami is chief operating officer and secretary to the board of directors at Saudi Arabia-based Mobily. Prior to joining Mobily, he was co-founder of Riyadh-based Integrated Networks Company (iNet). He also served as president of Riyadh-based information technology solutions provider Ebttikar Technology Company. Al-Tamami worked for seven years as director-general at the Post & Telecoms Ministry and three years as co-director of STC’s equipment and  transmission division. Al-Tamami has an honours degree in electrical engineering from Michigan State University and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from George Washington University, both in the US. Mobily has a market share of 40 per cent and is the second-largest telecoms company in Saudi Arabia and biggest in terms of market capitalisation.

Contact Tel: (+966) 5 603 14099

Biography: Hisham Allam was appointed chief technology officer of Kuwait’s Zain Group in December 2011. He oversees the group’s telecommunication networks and technology strategy. Previously, Allam was the chief operating officer of Zain Sudan having joined the firm in May 2003 as chief technology officer. At Zain Sudan, Allam helped build a nationwide network while deploying the latest technologies, including internet protocol and mobile broadband, increasing the customer base and sustaining the company’s market share in the country. Allam has a degree in electronics engineering from the University of Kent in the UK. He has also trained in software development, systems administration and management. Zain Group has a commercial presence in eight countries across Africa and the Middle East, with about 42.7 million customers as of December 2012.

Contract Tel: (+965) 2 464 4444

Biography: Ahmed Salman Ali al-Sulaiti is chief technology officer of QNBN. As an expert in information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, he is leading its deployment in Qatar. He recently managed QNBN’s ICT Qatar initiative as chairman of the technical team subcommittee and member of the steering committee. Previously, Al-Sulaiti was head of telecommunications and SCADA [supervisory control and data acquisition] control systems at Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation for 12 years, also leading the implementation of the biggest fibre-optic network in Qatar. He has a master’s degree from Swiss Business School in Zurich and a degree in electrical engineering communication from Qatar University. QNBN’s mission is to achieve 95 per cent coverage of high-speed broadband network in Qatar.

Contact Tel: (+974) 4 404 1404

Biography: Haitham Abdullah al-Kharusi is vice-president of the consumer business unit at Omantel. He has more than 15 years of international experience in telecoms and other industrial sectors. Al-Kharusi previously held senior management positions at the UAE’s Etisalat, Zanzibar’s Zantel, the local Nawras and Oman LNG. He has a master’s degree in marketing from Edinburgh Business School and a master’s degree in development, administration and planning from the University of Bristol, both in the UK. He also has a degree in government and politics from the University of Maryland in the US. Omantel was the first telecoms company in Oman and is the main provider of internet services in the sultanate. The government has a 70 per cent stake in the company, with the remainder listed on the Muscat Securities Market.

Contact Tel: (+968) 24 24 1999