Smile Telecoms appoints ex-MTN Nigeria CEO as Executive Director

11 May 2017
Financial Nigeria

Summary

Ahmad Farroukh has been appointed as Smile Telecoms' Executive Director, Operations, with effect from May 1, 2017.

Ahmad Farroukh, Executive Director, Operations, Smile Telecoms Holdings

Smile Telecoms Holdings, a leading Pan-African broadband provider, announced today that it has appointed Ahmad Farroukh as its Executive Director, Operations, with effect from May 1, 2017.

Farroukh is an experienced telecoms executive, who previously held management positions at Investcom Holdings and MTN Group. He was CEO of MTN Nigeria (for five years), CEO of MTN South Africa, and MTN Group’s Chief Operating Executive (responsible for 19 countries).

“The Africa telecoms market is as dynamic as it is challenging, and Ahmad Farroukh is perfectly suited to lead Smile’s next exciting phase of growth, as we have transitioned from a spectrum rich start-up to the most reliable data gigabyte factory in Sub-Sahara Africa,” said Irene Charnley, Smile Group’s Chief Executive Officer.

Farroukh served recently as CEO of Mobily, Saudi Arabia’s second largest telecommunications operator. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Accounting from the Lebanese American University and is a Certified Public Accountant (New York, USA). Smile Telecoms said Farroukh will spend the majority of his time in Nigeria given the opportunity and significance of the market to its operations.

“Africa is experiencing explosive data growth, and I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead the operations of the continent’s best 4G LTE network at this exciting time,” Farroukh said. “It has also been a revelation after over 20 years in the industry to witness the power and versatility of Smile’s proprietary technology applications and billing platform, which was developed in-house and provides a huge competitive and cost advantage.”

Founded in 2007, Smile Telecoms has operations in Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Africa. The company – which is majority owned by Saudi-based Al Nahla Group – has the largest 4G LTE commercial network in Africa, operating in the 800 MHz band, providing fast and reliable broadband services to customers.


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