CEO of Saudi Telecom Group to chair SAMENA council

Announcing the Board's decision to elect Eng. Al Daweesh as its Chairman during SAMENA's 'Convergence to Istanbul 2009' in Turkey, Thomas Wilson, CEO and Executive Managing Director of SAMENA, said:

"Eng. Al Daweesh will provide a new direction to SAMENA as it gains a greater foothold throughout the South Asia, Middle East and North Africa regions. Eng. Al Daweesh has been on the SAMENA Board of Directors since 2007 and with his strong knowledge of the Gulf region's market dynamics, market players and regulatory agendas, we hope to line up more achievements and create more tangible value for our members."

Upon his election as Chairman of SAMENA, Eng. Saud Al Daweesh, said, "Although SAMENA is a fairly new operator-driven entity, it has done very well in attracting a large number of regional and international players to its membership. As Chairman my goal will be to try and maximize SAMENA's achievements and further build on it."

Under the new Chairman's direction, SAMENA will soon expand onto its SAMENA International Roaming Rates Group (SIRRG), which is a forum designed to bring together both single-network and multi-networks and to voluntarily place price caps on international roaming without experiencing any regulatory intervention.

Eng. Al Daweesh was appointed as the CEO of Saudi Telecom Group in June 2009 and won the lifetime achievement award for his achievements in bringing a new vision to Saudi Telecom, leading the development of a revised corporate vision and strategy for growth based on new developments in regional telecom markets. He was the chief strategist for STC's new investments in Maxis Communications Berhad of Malaysia, Natrindo Telepon Seluler, and Oger Telecom. Having a highly diverse telecommunications experience, which includes his multi-dimensional roles at Saudi Telecom, Royal Telecom and with the Office of the Deputy Governor for Saudi Arabia's east province, Eng. Al Daweesh is a known leader within the Gulf region.