Etisalat says CEO resigns, names Egyptian Hatem Dowidar as acting CEO

UAE telecoms operator Etisalat has on Wednesday appointed Hatem Dowidar – who is Egyptian– as acting CEO for the group, succeeding Saleh Al Abdooli, who resigned on Tuesday.

In a statement, Etisalat cited “personal reasons” for Al Abdooli’s resignation, adding that the board of directors had accepted the resignation and appointed Dowidar as acting CEO for the Group.

Dowidar joined Etisalat Group in September 2015 as chief operating officer and was appointed as CEO for international operations in 2016. Prior to this, Dowidar was chairman of Vodafone Egypt and group chief of staff for Vodafone Group. He initially joined Vodafone Egypt in its early start-up operation in 1999 as chief marketing officer, until he became the CEO of Vodafone Egypt from 2009 to 2014.

Dowidar currently serves on the Boards of Maroc Telecom, PTCL, Ufone, and Etisalat Misr. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in communications and electronics engineering from Cairo University and an MBA from the American University in Cairo.