Saudi telecoms

01 March 2011

Six key executives leading development of the telecommunications sector in Saudi Arabia: Saud bin Majid al-Daweesh, Khalid Omar al-Kaf, Saad al-Barrak, Boulous Doany, Imad Ayoub and Mohamed Jamil bin Ahmed Mulla

Saud bin Majid al-Daweesh

Position Chief executive officer (CEO) of Saudi Telecom Company (STC)

Biography Saud bin Majid al-Daweesh has been CEO of STC since February 2006 and has led a new corporate vision and growth strategy for the company based on entering overseas telecoms markets. He led investment in Maxis Communications of Malaysia, Natrindo Telepon Seluler (NTS) in Indonesia, the third mobile licence in Kuwait, Oger Telecom in Turkey and Bahrain’s third mobile licence. Before becoming CEO of STC, Al-Daweesh was an adviser in the Office of the Deputy Governor for the Eastern Province for Prince Fahad bin Salman from 1987 to 1996. He then became general manager at Royal Telecom from 1996 to 1998. In 2001, he was made vice-president of STC’s mobile business unit until his appointment as CEO. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1982 from University of Southern California, in the US.

Contact Tel: (+966) 1 452 7000

Khalid Omar al-Kaf

Position Managing director and CEO of Etihad Etisalat (Mobily)

Biography Khalid Omar al-Kaf has been managing director and CEO of Mobily since July 2005, following a year spent as a start-up project manager at the company. Al-Kaf began working for UAE-based Etisalat in 1986, liaising closely with French vendor Alcatel for software development and later with Japanese communication infrastructure company Fujitsu. In 1987, he moved to work as a project engineer for switching development in Etisalat’s operations and maintenance division. Al-Kaf was later appointed general manager of Etisalat’s network services division, where he played a key role in building the operator’s third-generation mobile network in the UAE. He has a bachelor of science degree from George Washington University in the US. During his time at Mobily, Al-Kaf has raised $2.87bn of sharia-compliant debt finance.

Contact Tel: (+966) 1 273 5050

Saad al-Barrak

Position CEO of Zain Saudi Arabia

Biography Saad al-Barrak is CEO of Zain Saudi Arabia, part of the Kuwait-owned Zain Group, of which he was CEO from 2002 until his resignation in 2010. During this time, he expanded Zain’s presence to make it the world’s third-biggest mobile operator in terms of subscribers. Al-Barrak has held several non-executive posts at other firms, including: vice-chairman of the Social Development Office of the Amiri Diwan in Kuwait; chairman of Egyptian Software Developer IT Soft; chairman of Arab Telecom; and non-executive director of the Arab Management Association in Cairo. He has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in systems engineering from Ohio University in the US, as well as a doctorate in information systems and technology management from the UK’s University of London. Prior to joining Zain, Al-Barrak was managing director of International Turnkey Systems.

Contact Tel: +(965) 2 464 4444

Boulous Doany

Position CEO of Oger Telecom

Biography Boulous Doany is the head of Oger Telecom, which is the owner of Saudi Arabia’s second internet service provider Cyberia. Doany has been at Oger Telecom since 1998 and was appointed as its CEO in 2002. Prior to this, he was managing director of Lebanon’s Dar al-Handasah Consultants’ UK office, where he was in charge of telecommunications projects, before becoming CEO of Turk Telecom. Doany still sits on the Turk Telecom board of directors. STC has a 35 per cent stake in Oger Telecom. Doany completed a bachelor’s degree in electrical/electronics engineering from the American University of Beirut in 1977. He graduated in 1978 with a master’s degree in digital electronics and communications engineering from Bradford University, in the UK. Doany followed this by gaining a doctorate in communications engineering at the University of Manchester, also in the UK, in 1981.

Contact Tel: (+971) 4 428 4284

Imad Ayoub

Position CEO of Cyberia

Biography Imad Ayoub is CEO of Cyberia, a broadband internet service provider with operations in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Jordan. The company was acquired in 2007 by Oger Telecom. Ayoub began his career in 1984 working at technology firms National Semiconductors and American Microsystems. Ayoub co-founded Global One Jordan in 1996, which later become the country’s number one internet and data communication service provider. Global One was acquired by Jordan Telecom and is now Orange Internet. Ayoub also co-founded Nets in 1994, which introduced email and online services to Jordan. Nets was acquired by Batelco Jordan, and is now operated under the brand Umnia Internet. Ayoub graduated in 1984 from Santa Clara University, California, in the US, with a degree in electrical engineering, completing a master’s in electrical engineering at the same university in 1986.

Contact Tel: (+966) 1 464 7114

Mohamed Jamil bin Ahmed Mulla

Position Communications and Information Technology minister

Biography Mohamed Jamil bin Ahmed Mulla has been working in the Communications Ministry since he graduated in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, from King Saud University. He began his career as a radio engineer at the Post, Telegraph and Telephone Ministry, moving on to become an electrical engineer. Mulla was appointed manager of telecommunications for the Riyadh District, then promoted to general manager of the central region. He was later appointed deputy minister of post, telegraph and telephone for engineering affairs before moving into his current role in 2003. As well as being Saudi Communications and Information Technology Minister, Mulla is governor of regulatory body the Communications and Information Technology Commission. He has a master’s degree in telecommunications from the University of Colorado in the US.

Contact Tel: (+966) 1 452 2222

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