Biography: Brought in by royal decree to replace Mohammed Omran in July, Eissa Mohamed Ghanem al-Suwaidi has a difficult job ahead of him. Al-Suwaidi is tasked with reversing a fall in profit in eight of the last 10 quarters at Etisalat, which is one of the biggest sources of revenue for the UAE’s federal budget and a bellwether stock on its capital markets. He may also be preparing to open up the firm to foreign investment, a move that could help boost liquidity, something the government has been trying to do for years. Al-Suwaidi is also chairman of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, an executive director for the Abu Dhabi Investment Council, and a board member for both Abu Dhabi National Oil Company for Distribution and Emirates Investment Authority. He has a degree in economics from Northeastern University in the US.

Contact Tel: (+971) 2 628 3333

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

Biography: Mohamed Nasser al-Ghanim is director general of the TRA, a body he helped establish in 2004. In 2006, Al-Ghanim was involved in licensing the second telecoms operator in the UAE, Du, a move that ended the 30-year monopoly of Etisalat and transformed the telecoms market in the country. He has been instrumental in setting up regulations for the UAE telecoms sector covering competition, allocation of frequencies for civil and military use, and pricing policies. Al-Ghanim worked up through the ranks of Etisalat before joining Thuraya Telecommunications Company, which sells satellite communications, in 1997. During the UAE’s free trade agreement negotiations with the US and Australia, he was in charge of the telecoms and ecommerce chapters. Al-Ghanim is a former board member of the UAE’s National Media Council and has a bachelor’s degree in engineering.

Contact Tel: (+971) 2 626 9999

Biography: Ahmad bin Byat became chairman of Du in 2006, and since then has led it through a period of significant growth. With the further opening up of the UAE’s telecoms sector, his influence will increase over the next few years. Byat has an extensive list of other positions in Dubai, making him one of the most significant figures in the local business world. In 2009, he was appointed CEO of Dubai Holding. Byat is executive chairman of Tecom Investments and Dubai Real Estate Corporation, and director general of the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority, which includes Media City, Knowledge Village, the International Media and Production Zone, Dubai Outsource Zone, Studio City and Dubiotech. He has worked at Etisalat and Thuraya Telecommunications Company, and was secretary-general of the Executive Council of the Dubai government. Byat has a degree in information technology and management.

Contact Tel: (+971) 4 360 0000

Biography: Osman Sultan became CEO of Du in early 2006. The firm, which was created to bring more competition to the UAE’s telecoms sector, has been hugely successful at encroaching on Etisalat’s share of the market. Du now has a market share of about 47 per cent and this should grow much more over the coming years as further liberalisation of the fixed-line sector occurs. Before joining Du, Sultan helped set up Egyptian Company for Mobile Services (Mobinil). He bid for its operating licence and ran the company for eight years. In 1983, Sultan joined France Telecom and over the next 11 years worked in senior positions in sales, marketing and customer services. In 1997, he joined France Telecom Mobiles International as vice-president for business development for the Arab region. Sultan has a degree in engineering.

Contact Tel: (+971) 4 360 0000

Biography: Tareq al-Hosani was appointed CEO of Yahsat in late 2011. He has been with the company, which operates satellites for telecommunications purposes, from shortly after it was established in 2007. The firm, owned by Abu Dhabi’s investment fund Mubadala Development Company, forms part of the emirate’s strategy to develop high-tech industries. It launched its first satellite in 2011 and a second in early 2012. Yahsat aims to provide secure broadband and telephone services to governments and companies. Al-Hosani was appointed deputy chief technical officer in 2009, becoming executive director for strategy and business development in 2010, then deputy chief executive in early 2011. Prior to that, he was head of integration in the UAE armed forces. Al-Hosani has a master’s degree in electronics and communication from the Pierre and Marie Curie University in France.

Contact Tel: (+971) 2 510 0000