Batelco's Chief Executive outlines goals and priorities for 2006

Mr. Kaliaropoulos thanked the attendees for their efforts during 2005 which resulted in an increase in profits of 6 per cent and an increase in gross revenue of 4 per cent.

"Last year our financial results were exceptional and along with this our customers gave us the highest ranking ever in our 'voice of customer' surveys," said Mr. Kaliaropoulos.

Mr. Kaliaropoulos spoke about the Company's strategy for the next 12 to 18 months and longer-term plans for the future which will see Batelco spread its wings further afield with the intention of acquiring new licences and adding to their list of joint venture operations.

"To retain our competitive edge we need to grow in both scale and scope," he said.
"We are looking to accelerating our geographical reach, expanding into new regions and acquiring new licences, while at the same time we need to be more focused on integrated services," added Mr. Kaliaropoulos.

The Company's fundamental priorities include first and foremost the improvement of customers' experience. With the operating environment changing as fixed line competition will soon be a reality, providing the right solutions at the right time will become even more crucial.

"Our success long term will depend on improving our processes, finding out how we can do things better, faster and simpler," said Mr Kaliaropoulos.

The Chief Executive also spoke about the progress in HR enhancements that he introduced at the Company's last Staff & Management Forum in August 2005.

"Our HR team has made excellent progress in establishing our new Talent Centre to profile candidates for competencies and which will ensure fair and transparent selection for job vacancies," he said.

"The new Centre is a positive addition to our recruitment operation and it will also be used to assist with staff training by uncovering hidden talents and any areas of weakness."

"In either case we plan to offer a wide range of courses to develop our staffs' potential and have already planned 25 e-learning courses to be carried out under the guidance of a training officer."

Despite the changing market, the Chief Executive is optimistic about the future.

"There is a new world out there and I would like to see us venturing into transaction business rather than just telephony," he said.

"Batelco is a solid operation and we have the necessary tools and human resources to excel in the future."

A series of meetings were held throughout the day in which department heads made brief presentations highlighting their main initiatives for 2006. Each meeting was followed by a question and answer session to elaborate on the topic under discussion.

The management and staff forums were held at Batelco Staff Centre in Hamala. All Batelco employees were requested to attend and turnout was extremely high.