HE MOHAMMAD HASSAN OMRAN, CHAIRMAN & CEO, ETISALAT

Over the last three decades and now as chairman, Mohammed Hassan Omran has been the architect of Etisalat’s design and development and has transformed the company from a well-respected telecommunications service provider, to a leading regional operator with over 33 million customers across fifteen markets. In addition, Mr Omran is today overseeing Etisalat’s aggressive regional and international expansion strategy.

Under his leadership, Etisalat has consistently raised the benchmark for innovation and quality in telecommunications services in the region and has been widely acknowledged for excellent performance by many international organizations. Following his appointment as Chairman in 2006, Etisalat was named Overall Operator of the Year in an industry awards ceremony (Comms MEA), and was later named the most respected telecommunications company and amongst the most respected companies in the Gulf (Arabian Business).

Etisalat’s unprecedented success in overseas expansion is due to Mr Omran’s successful leadership of Etisalat International Investments, as well as Etisalat UAE, and the powerful investment strategy, which is based on international best practise and four ‘Pillars of Performance’. These ‘Pillars’, which include detailed market research, synergy development, innovation and growth prospects, have won the support of investors from across the region. Mr Omran’s Etisalat today leads consortiums that have placed over AED 36bn in foreign investment.

Etisalat’s success is further supported by the synergies from the company’s 15 operators and 8 service/support companies which create an organization ready to be numbered amongst the largest telecommunications service providers in the world. Each of these components has been developed to the design of Etisalat’s Chairman. Etisalat is today the largest listed company in the UAE and the fifth in the Gulf with a market capital of over US$21 billion operating across the Middle East, Africa, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Mr. Omran’s impressive track record has made him a well-known thought leader at industry forums worldwide. He also serves as the Chairman of Thuraya, the UAE-based satellite mobile telephone operator.

Mr. Omran received his Engineering Degree in Electronics and Communications from Cairo University in Egypt.