Abdulla has spent 40 years at the company and will be temporarily replaced by Alan Whelan, who was appointed CEO of the Batelco Group last year.
Abdulla started his career at Batelco in an engineering role and was appointed CEO of Batelco Bahrain in 2011, leading the company through the launch of its 4G LTE network in 2013.
Shaikh Hamad bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, former CEO of the Batelco Group and now chairman at the firm, said that the company wanted to thank Abdulla for his “commendable contributions to Batelco’s operations throughout his tenure”, and added that a search is underway for his permanent replacement.
“We are confident that Mr Whelan, with his vast experience in the telecommunications industry, will competently lead the day-to-day Batelco Bahrain operation until the appointment of a suitable replacement,” Al Khalifa said.
Batelco operates in 16 markets worldwide, but Bahrain is its most important, having accounted for 42% of revenue and 62% of profit in the first half of 2014.
“Bahrain is a key market in our Group operations and Batelco's employees and management are well aware of the competitive challenges that continue to shape the local market,” Whelan said.
“We will remain focussed on further enhancing the good relationships we have with our customers and continue to deliver value and innovation that is in line with their requirements.”
