Allam ... new responsibility
Alfardan Automobiles, the official BMW Group importer in Qatar, has announced the appointment of Ihab Allam as general manager to continue the BMW Group brands’ success story in Qatar.
Bringing with him more than 14 years’ experience in the automotive industry, Allam took over the day-to-day business operations for the BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands from February.
Working alongside Mohamed Kandeel, who is now chief operating officer for the Alfardan Group Automotive Operations, Allam will utilise his vast experience to drive Alfardan Automobile’s expansion as the company looks to build on its 2014 success, in which sales of BMW and MINI vehicles increased by 10% and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars grew 17%, according to a statement.
A graduate of The American University in Cairo in mechanical engineering, Allam garnered over 14 years of experience in the automotive industry, joining Mercedes-Benz, Egypt, as a general manager. He continued to develop his automotive experience and, after more than a decade with Mercedes-Benz, moved to Saudi Arabia to become managing director at Jaguar & Land Rover KSA at Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors, the kingdom’s official importer, before taking on his new role in Qatar.
Speaking on the appointment, Kandeel said: “Allam brings with him a wealth of industry experience and knowledge and as such, we are delighted that he is joining our team and are confident that he will be a strong asset and a dynamic driving force to our automotive division.”
Allam added, “Assuming the role of general manager at Alfardan Automobiles presents an exciting challenge – one that I will embrace and use my experience to work closely with the strong team already in place to take the company to even greater heights. We have a number of exciting new model launches planned this year, so I’ve arrived at an exciting time when the company is ready to offer greater customer service and increase its market share.”
The official BMW Group importer in Qatar achieved 9% growth for BMW in 2014 and 25% growth for MINI compared to the previous year. Sales of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars also grew by 17% from 2013. The company is looking to continue the trend into 2015 with continued growth across all BMW Group brands, the statement adds.