The telco industry in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) is growing rapidly amid a competitive landscape.
With continued demand for high-speed mobile data services, businesses are looking to increasingly invest in 4G and 5G infrastructure. Likewise, governments committed to smart city development, e-governance and digital inclusion programmes are also set to increase the push for advanced telecom services.
In MEA regions alone, the penetration rate of 5G technology is expected to reach nearly 50% by 2030, with smartphone subscribers expected to increase by around 80 million.
With this in mind, Mobile Magazine showcases some of the leading telco figures across MEA, each committed to bolstering network services within their respective regions.
10. Olayan M. Alwetaid, CEO at Saudi Telecom Company
With more than 20 years of experience in the telecom, media and technology sectors, Olayan M. Alwetaid has a long history of proven executive management. He has been the Group CEO of Saudi Telecom Company since March 2021, which is the leading mobile operator in the Middle East.
Prior to his current role, he worked as the company’s Senior Vice President for the Consumer Business Unit, where he was instrumental in leading a commercial turnaround programme with a focus on preserving mobile leadership, repowering the fibre business and leading customer experience initiatives.
9. Peter Ndegwa, CEO at Safaricom
Peter Ndegwa is CEO of Safaricom PLC, a leading communications company in Africa and is also a pioneer of M-PESA, the world’s most developed mobile payment system. Having first joined Safaricom in 2020, he has used its experience as a board leader to drive forward commercial and business strategy and sales and finance operations.
Prior to this role, Peter spent more than 25 years in various roles within the financial services and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors across Europe and Africa.
8. Mohamed Nasr Eldin, CEO at Telecom Egypt
Mohamed Nasr Eldin was named CEO of Telecom Egypt in March 2023, where he also serves as a member of the board of directors.
He first joined the company in 2004 and eventually became Head of the International Cables and Networks Business Unit in 2014. In this role, he undertook several initiatives that contributed to maximising Telecom Egypt’s revenues and its strategic position as a route for international cables.
He holds more than 20 years of experience in the telecom sector and remains passionate about improving customer experience, building teams and subsea cables.
7. Talal Bin Saeed Bin Marhoon Al Mamari, CEO at Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel)
Talal Said Al Mamari has been the CEO of Omantel since 2014, with nearly three-decades of experience in the telecom sector. Prior to becoming CEO, Talal has held several leadership positions within the company, including Chief Financial Officer.
He has played an instrumental role in different projects for Omantel, including its initial public offering in 2005 and the restructuring of the company by bringing the mobile and fixed operations together, in addition to the full legal merger of Oman Mobile with Omantel.
6. Jérôme Hénique, Executive Vice President, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA)
Jérôme Hénique was appointed Executive Vice President and CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa in 2022. Whilst now based in France, Jérôme lived and worked across the MEA region for a number of years, including as Deputy CEO of the Sonatel Group where he developed and launched Orange Money services.
He first started his career as a consultant and served as Group Chief Marketing Officer at Orange, Consumer Market Director in France and Marketing Director in Spain. He took over as CEO of Orange Jordan in 2015 before becoming CEO of OMEA in 2022, representing 18 countries and more than 135 million customers.
5. Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, CEO at Ooredoo
Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo has been Group CEO of Ooredoo since November 2020. He was up until recently a Board member of the organisation between 2011 until 2024.
Prior to this role, he served as Deputy Under Secretary for Budget, Treasury and Financial affairs at the Ministry of Finance. He was also co-head of mergers and acquisitions at the Qatar Investment Authority.
Recently, he led Ooredoo’s expansion of data centre infrastructure, securing QAR 2 billion (US$549m) in a landmark financial deal to accelerate AI data centre growth.
4. Hassanein Hiridjee, CEO at Axian Group
Hassanein Hiridjee (born in 1975 in Antananarivo) is a French-Malagasy entrepreneur. He is the CEO of the panafrican group Axian and a leading figure in the Indian Ocean business world.
After working in France for some time, he returned to Madagascar and joined the family business in 1997, Then named Hirimix, the company was renamed Axian in 2015 and is now very active in the telecom, energy, real estate and financial services sectors globally.
Hassanein was instrumental in expanding the company across Africa, growing operations in Togo, Senegal and the Ivory Coast.
3. Hatem Dowidar, Group CEO at e& (formerly Etisalat)
Hatem Dowidar is the Group CEO of e&. First joining the company in 2015, he initially served as Group Chief Operating Officer, before becoming Group CEO in 2020. Ever since he took the helm, he has been instrumental in transforming e& from a traditional telco to a technology group.
As part of his role, he has been instrumental in ushering in a new phase of strategic partnerships and key collaborations with global industry leaders that will digitally empower societies. Prior to joining e&, he was Group Chief of Staff for Vodafone Group based in London.
2. Patricia Obo-Nai, CEO at Vodafone Ghana
As CEO of Vodafone Ghana, Patricia Obo-Nai was the first woman to assume this role when she was appointed in 2019. She has worked for Vodafone Ghana - the country’s second-largest mobile carrier by market share - since 2016.
She is well-known for her dedication to empowering people across the country of Ghana with telecommunication technology and ensuring its use for good, which includes reducing mortality among the pregnant population - statistics of which are staggeringly high compared to the worldwide average.
With more than 20 years working across the telecommunications sector, Patricia is a respected business leader continually committed to returning value to shareholders through an engaged team.
1. Ralph Mupita, Group President & CEO at MTN
Ralph Mupita is the Group President and CEO of MTN Group, having held the position since September 2020. Prior to this, he served as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. He is a well-versed business leader with experience in engineering, construction, financial services and telecommunications.
Since joining MTN, Ralph Mupita has played a critical role in strengthening the company’s financial position, strategy formulation and successful listing of MTN Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda subsidiaries.
Prior to joining MTN, he served as the CEO of Old Mutual Emerging Markets, which provides financial service solutions to individuals and businesses across 19 countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia.
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