Barcelona, Spain - February 23, 2015: The South Asia, Middle East, North Africa region's telecommunications industry association, SAMENA Council has announced the election of Dr. Khalid H. Biyari, CEO of Saudi Telecom Company Group as the Chairman of its Board of Directors. Mr. Ihab Hinnawi, Group CEO of Batelco has been elected as Vice-Chairman of the Board.
The election of the top seats marks the beginning of a new leadership and new visions, to which additional board members have now also become a part in order to drive forward SAMENA Council's future contributions to the telecommunications industry.
Prior to the election of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, on the same day, TurkCell, through Mr. Kaan Terzioglu, CEO; Turksat, represented by Mr. Ensar Gul, CEO; Viva Kuwait, represented by Mr. Salman Al Badran, CEO; and Zain, represented by Mr. Scott Gegenheimer, Group CEO, were elected as new members of the Board.
Expressing his satisfaction at the conclusion of the election process, Bocar A. BA, CEO of SAMENA Telecommunications Council, stated: "We have had an outstanding board leadership since the past election, and it is due to the vision and achievements of the Board Members that we now have a very powerful and dynamic leadership, constituted by the largest communications service providers in the region. The Year 2015 has been very good so far, and under our new leadership, moving forward, I foresee SAMENA Council reaching new heights to witness an exciting future of region-wide co-operation and collaboration, and digital economic development. We are very enthused by the election of TurkCell, Turksat, Viva Kuwait, and Zain Group as the new directors and leaders in our Board."
About SAMENA Telecommunications Council:
SAMENA Telecommunications Council is South Asia - Middle East - North Africa (SAMENA) region's sole operator-driven industry association that represents telecommunications service providers from around the region, and beyond. SAMENA is a not-for-profit organization, with membership comprising leading regional and international communications technology companies. Headquartered in the UAE, SAMENA was founded in 2006, chaired by Dr. Nasser Marafih and led by Mr. Bocar A. BA. SAMENA collaborates with leading non-profit international organizations, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the European Telecom Network Operators' Association. With an expanding member portfolio, the Council is quickly securing strong footing in the region. SAMENA's current network consists of 25 countries from South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. However, organizations from countries of Asia Pacific, Europe and North America also form part of the SAMENA membership.