Orbit announces new appointments

Mr. Samir Mahmoud Abdulhadi, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ghassan Itani, Chief Operating Officer, in charge of sales, marketing, technology and customer service departments, and Mr. Walid Haddad, Special Advisor - Strategic Planning to the Board of Directors. Orbit also announces that Mr. Abdulhadi, Mr. Itani and Mr. Haddad have been appointed members of the Orbit's reconstituted Board of Directors. These appointments are part of Orbit Communications Company's preparation for the forthcoming expansion in its scope of operations.

Mr. Samir Mahmoud Abdulhadi has had a long and successful professional career, which has given him extensive experience in a wide variety of industries and businesses. He holds a Master's degree in Petrochemicals and Hydrocarbons from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in the U.K. In 1977, he returned to his native Saudi Arabia where he worked at Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) for 10 years, holding various senior positions at SABIC and its subsidiaries. In 1991, Mr. Abdulhadi joined Mawarid Group, where he held various positions leading up to his last position as Managing Director of Mawarid's Distribution and Trading Group. Mr. Abdulhadi held this post until his appointment as President and CEO of Orbit Communications Company.

Mr. Ghassan Itani, Orbit's COO, has vast experience that has provided him with all the skills that led to his most recent appointment. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the University of Texas, and a Master's degree in Engineering from the University of California at Berkley. In 1987, Mr. Itani joined Mawarid Group as Project Manager for various service projects within Saudi Arabia. By 1994, his role extended to the position of Deputy Managing Director for Mawarid Services Limited. In 1997, Mr. Itani moved to Orbit Communications Company where he held several high positions including Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Orbit in 1999, leading to his recent promotion to Chief Operating Officer for the company.

Mr. Walid Haddad has over 20 years of highly diversified work experience across a variety of industries ranging from engineering and construction to media, telecommunications and financial services. Mr. Haddad's experience is multi-faceted also in terms of the variety of positions and responsibilities he has successfully assumed in engineering, project management, mergers and acquisitions, business development, corporate planning and strategic deal-making. Throughout his career, he has been involved in complex, large-scale projects and businesses, often in the multibillion dollar range and involving world-class business partners. He joined Mawarid Group in 1987 and, for the past 8 years, he has been working as a valuable advisor to the Chairman of the Board, on various general management and strategic issues, for a number of companies. Given Orbit's ambitious expansion plans, the Group has decided to call upon Mr. Haddad's unique talents and expertise. In addition to his current responsibilities, he will henceforth play a vital role in the formulation and implementation of Orbit's strategies. Mr. Haddad holds a degree in engineering from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon and an MBA from INSEAD in France.

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