Marconi restructures to create a focused division serving Middle East region

Dubai, UAE
The establishment of Marconi Middle East is due to the rising demand of the company's innovative technology solutions in the region.

Under the terms of this new organisational structure, Marconi Middle East has formed and registered new entities in both the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The new division will be responsible for all Marconi activities in the Middle East and will provide solutions that include technology from Marconi's product groups based around the world, and where appropriate, from local and third-party companies.

Marconi Middle East was conceived based on the strategic importance of the region as well as the explosive demand for Marconi technology in a diversity of sectors. Existing clients across the telecoms, energy, defence, government, education, property development and retail sectors in the Gulf, Levant, and North Africa regions will be served directly by the new organization.

To head up Marconi Middle East, Geoff Simmons has been appointed as the Managing Director for the new regional entity. Formerly the vice president of Marconi's Enterprise Business in the Middle East, Simmons brings a huge amount of project experience to the role, including more than five years spent working in the Middle East region.

"Despite the global slow-down that many technology companies have experienced globally, the Middle East has become one of Marconi's most strategic developing markets. Opportunities in the region have encouraged us to create Marconi Middle East as a separate division to serve the region more directly," commented Simmons.

He added, "Marconi has more than tripled its number of staff operating in the Middle East over the last three years because of significant new projects and now has more than 700 staff based in the region. As an important element of the Marconi organisation, but working as an autonomous entity, Marconi Middle East now enjoys a greater opportunity to further develop its talent pool of skilled technology professionals from within the region."

As a division totally focused on the region, Marconi Middle East will be managed as an independent profit centre, further insulating regional operations from any global market fluctuations. The new entity will continue to develop concepts and solutions that can be deployed around the Middle East for large-scale telecoms, defence, energy, and real estate development initiatives, in addition to continuing with its many equipment supply opportunities and contracts.

"Two of the key drivers in the establishment of Marconi Middle East are greater flexibility and autonomy to assist our regional clients in solving their business challenges through the deployment of pioneering technology. Businesses in the Middle East have shown tremendous vision in creating new economic initiatives, and Marconi Middle East is here to provide the technology infrastructure to enable that vision," concluded Simmons.

To accommodate its growing number of staff, Marconi Middle East has established offices over one full floor of the Emirates Towers in Dubai, UAE and two floors in the Al Faisaliah Centre, Riyadh, KSA. Each office will include training and technology centres where clients and partners can develop hands-on expertise with Marconi technology.


About Marconi

Marconi plc is a global company with over 40,000 employees. Marconi has research and development facilities in 19 countries and serves customers in over 100 countries. It delivers innovative communications solutions that transform the economics of doing business, for Networks, Wireless and Enterprise customers. Marconi plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and Nasdaq under the symbol MONI.

For further media information about Marconi, please contact:
Wallis Marketing Consultants
T: (971-4) 332-3225
F: (971-4) 332-3228
Attn: Eileen Wallis, Rawia G. Asali