In-line with the government’s efforts to recognise and promote UAE local talent, du announced elevation of senior management executives. This includes key functions such as Commercial and Human Resources within du.
As a part of the changes, which came into effect from January 1st, 2010, Farid Faraidooni, previously executive Vice President, Commercial, has been elevated to the post of Chief Commercial Officer handling responsible all the Sales, Marketing and Customer Care functions with additional responsibilities of managing Brand and Communications, Carriers Relations and Business Development departments while Fahad Al Hassawi, earlier EVP Human Resources is now designated as the Chief Human Capital and General Services Officer, in-charge of both General services (facilities, procurement and government relations) as well as the human resources function that include planning, implementing best practices in recruitment, training and development, compensation, benefits and organisational design.
Congratulating the senior management, Ahmed Bin Byat, Chairman, du, said: “As a fast growing UAE national company, we offer valuable work experience that has enabled to groom the in-house UAE talent to take up higher responsibilities. UAE nationals hold significant leadership positions in our company and have immensely contributed to our success. It gives me immense pride to congratulate those promoted and I wish them all success.”
Commenting on the move announced, Osman Sultan, CEO, du, said: “The future ahead looks promising for du in its growth journey. We have been delivering on our promises in introducing a true momentum in competition within the UAE telecom sector and, we will continue to do so putting in mind profitability and value creation to our shareholders. The change that we have announced recently comes at time where du has to think of developing the scope of its business in the fast changing world of telecom. Farid Faraidooni and Fahad Al Hassawi have demonstrated strong leadership and organisation skills and sharp business acumen and are suitably positioned to contribute, along with other members of du’s senior management in taking du into a higher growth trajectory.”
Noteworthy to mention, Farid Faraidooni, an Electronics Engineer by qualification, is on the Board of Trustees for the UAE ICT Development Fund. He is also a founding member of the Information Technology Forum in the UAE. Prior to joining du, Farid played a key role in the implementation of the information communications technology cluster in Dubai Internet City (DIC), and the development of the telecom infrastructure of DIC and TECOM.
Fahad Al Hassawi holds a Masters degree in Industrial Engineering, USA, and also has an Engineering degree in communication. Prior to joining du, he was with the UAE’s Emirates Airline as Vice President Human Resources (Employee Services) where he was instrumental in establishing and executing the group’s national career development strategy. He was also among the first graduates of Mohammed Bin Rashid Programme for Leadership Development (MBRPLD).
Since its inception, du has a strong Emiratisation strategy to develop talented UAE professionals. du’s new announcement forms a part of its efforts to prepare the organisation for adapting to dynamic market trends and industry practices by creating structural synergies by increasingly using UAE local talent. Supported by Emiratisation, du also aims to strengthen its operating model and organisational structure in order to further enhance the efficiency of its internal developments.
