The Qtel Group received two awards at the ‘4th Annual SAMENA Awards 2011’ held at the Sharq Village & Spa recently.Adding to the ‘impressive tally’ of awards already received in 2011 – which has seen the Qtel Group, Qtel Qatar and a range of Qtel Group companies honoured – the event saw the company recognised by one of the most important regional bodies. The SAMENA Awards recognise leadership and excellence within the telecommunications sectors across South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa (SAMENA) region. The awards are now in their fourth year and were held in conjunction with the SAMENA Telecommunications Council “Convergence to Doha 2011” Conference. In the category for “Best merger and acquisition of the year’ the Qtel Group triumphed over the Saudi Telecom Company and PCCW for the esteemed award. The group has pursued a successful strategy of growth across a strategic geography, including the Middle East, North Africa, the subcontinent and South East Asia.Last year, the Qtel Group boosted its holding in Tunisiana, as part of its stated approach to grow its stake in its existing regional operations.Qtel Qatar also triumphed in the “Best FTTx/GPON Operator” category, following the company’s investment in its fibre programme, the major national programme to build a world-class high-speed Internet infrastructure for Qatar. The regional recognition for the programme, which is already set to deliver high-speed Internet and high definition entertainment across key areas of Doha, underlines the programme’s potential to position Qatar as one of the best-connected nations in the Middle East. The SAMENA awards are hosted each year, and are given to the most commendable telecoms organisations and professionals.
Qtel appoints Tunisia operations chiefQtel said Kenneth Campbell, a veteran telecom executive, will be the new CEO of Tunisiana, Tunisia from November 15.He will succeed Yves Gaultier, who is leaving after serving Tunisiana since the company started in 2007. Campbell, a veteran global telecom executive, came from his most recent role of CEO at Wind Mobile, Canada, and will report to the Qtel Group chief executive officer, Dr Nasser Marafih.Dr Marafih said, “We are pleased to announce that Ken Campbell has been appointed CEO of our Tunisia operation. Ken brings great experience and track record in the commercial and customer services, and will prove instrumental in ensuring that the quality of customer experience is consistently at the highest possible levels.”Tunisiana, under Gaultier’s leadership, has proven to be an outstanding asset in the Qtel Group portfolio, delivering consistent performance to establish its position as the market leader in the Tunisian market. Dr Marafih said: “Yves Gaultier has played an important role in developing and growing our business in Tunisia. In appointing Ken Campbell, who was Commercial Director at Tunisiana in 2003, we are confident that he is well placed to lead and deliver the next chapter of growth in Tunisiana.”