Two prestigious awards are up for grabs this year, celebrating the executives who have contributed the most to company leadership and the industry as a whole.
The category has attracted a number of leading names from across the wholesale market, details of which can be found below.
The full list of winners will be announced next week at the Global Carrier Awards ceremony and gala dinner on November 4 2014 at the Okura Hotel in Amsterdam, during Capacity Europe.
Company Leadership
Yousuf Abdulla Al-Kubaisi has been at Ooredoo since he graduated from university in 1985, and after taking over as chief wholesale and international officer in 2012, Yousuf has been integral in the development of the company’s international infrastructure. Yousuf spearheaded the launch of Ooredoo Global Services this year, and the company’s growth in wholesale voice, data and roaming in such a short space of time has been a remarkable achievement. The company, under Yousuf’s leadership, is in the process of further expanding the company’s footprint across Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.
Having overseen the establishment of a brand new global player, and the largest international voice carrier in the world, Brian Fitzpatrick secures a place on the shortlist for contribution to the industry in the executive of the year category. Brian has overseen a fundamental change in the way Vodafone engages with the carrier market, making it simpler to do business and thus opening up additional revenue opportunities. Brian’s leadership and focus has been praised by many and has helped the company to exceed all financial expectations in its first year of operation.
The recent launches of innovative solutions, including HD video calling and hosted OTT TV services by PCCW Global, further cements Marc Halbfinger’s position as a global leader in the wholesale telecoms space. Marc has been integral in launching new profitable media and video communications platforms and PCCW Global, as a result, have showcased a real drive towards creativity in the technology space. Marc’s vision and relentless passion towards the development of PCCW Global’s wholesale business makes him a worthy candidate to win this executive of the year award.
Andrew Grenville took the brave decision to set up a new customer-centric company in the Middle East last year, and the company has since gone from strength to strength. Orixcom has been successful in gaining customers across the Middle East and Africa, and under Andrew’s leadership, Orixcom is committed to enabling a better business environment across both regions. Andrew has been passionate in his attempts towards increasing the role of the UAE as an ICT and telecoms regional hub, and there is no doubt Andrew’s experience in the wholesale space will lead to Orixcom’s future growth.
Cengiz Oztelcan, CEO of Türk Telekom International, has pioneered the company’s strategy towards growth in new regions, and his leadership has marked a significant evolution of the Turkish operator in the past year. Oztelcan’s approach has transformed Türk Telekom International into an ambitious player, showcased by the development of its new AMEER cable project. Going forward, Oztelcan’s leadership will be crucial in pioneering the launch of next-generation services in new regions across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Industry contribution
A leader in driving connectivity to inland Africa, Nic Rudnick secures a place on the shortlist for executive of the year for his contribution to the industry. Liquid Telecom was established on Nic’s vision of Africa being connected by one independent network, and he has worked tirelessly to get the company to where it is today. Ambitious, driven and “far from finished”, highlights of Nic’s achievements this year include the completion of Liquid’s East Africa fibre ring, its fibre-optic link into Somalia and the opening of its East Africa data centre.
Dr Nasser Marafih was the driving force behind the successful launch of the Ooredoo brand in February 2013. Nasser’s expertise in emerging markets is described as “unmatched” and since its rebrand, the company has gone from strength to strength with its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve their full potential. A member of the board of the GSMA, Nasser secures his place on the shortlist for executive of the year for his contribution to the industry.
Marc Halbfinger, president and CEO, PCCW Global
A “highly respected senior resource in the industry”, Marc Halbfinger has been heavily focussed on bringing Asia and Africa closer together with high-quality communications services. In the last 12 months, Marc has overseen PCCW Global’s integration of Gateway Communications, the deployment of voice-over-IPX and HD video calling services, as well as PCCW’s investment in the Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1) cable system. Marc’s innovative approach to connectivity puts him in the running for executive of the year in terms of his contribution to the industry.
Sprint’s wholesale and emerging solutions business continues to focus on the MVNO space, and Karen’s leadership in launching closer collaboration between different customers has been an important development for the company. Sprint continues to showcase an innovative approach to operating in the wholesale space, and under Karen’s leadership, the business unit continues to make a positive impact on Sprint’s overall operations across the US.
Appointed CEO at Reliance Globalcom in January 2014, Bill Barney has already made quite some impact on the wholesale industry. Operating as Global Cloud Xchange, the company, under Bill’s watch, launched its high-performance Cloud X platform in October, designed to offer enterprise-class cloud services and content across its global fibre-optic network. Bill’s leadership has been described as creative and visionary and this, combined with his practical approach, earns him a place on the shortlist for executive of the year in terms of his industry contribution.
