Etisalat appoints new CEO to Sri Lanka

Sulaiman Salim Alkaabi, the youngest Chief Executive Officer within the Dubai based global telecom conglomerate Etisalat, will take over the reins of Etisalat Lanka. 

The new CEO brings extensive multi market industry and leadership experience, holding key technical and management roles within the Etisalat Group for 17 years. 

With this new appoint, Alkaabi will lead the next phase of growth and innovation for Etisalat Lanka, a network that has an over 25 year legacy in the country’s mobile telecommunication industry. 

Commenting on the new appointment, Alkaabi said, “We have a lot of opportunity and a lot of potential. We belong to the Etisalat Group, which has tremendous industry expertise. Locally, the country is booming. Our aim is not to flood the market with products and services. Instead our focus is on quality, value and service.” Speaking on his leadership approach, Alkaabi noted, “I am very people centric. I believe that success lies not in technology but in the people behind this industry. They will take it to the level and continue to evolve the industry. So I will invest a lot on people.” Alkaabi joined the Etisalat Group following his graduation from the Etisalat College of Engineering in 1998, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Telecommunications. 

Since then, he has worked in multiple roles across geographies within the Etisalat Group of companies including Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Tanzania and served in a number of operating committees.  

Alkaabi takes over the reins of Etisalat Lanka after completing successful roles as Chief Executive Officer of Canar Telecommunications Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Etisalat Group in Sudan and prior to that, as Chief Operating Officer in the Group’s operations in the Ivory Coast.