Telkom Kenya names Ghossein as new CEO
- Source: Xinhua
- [12:12 June 27 2009]
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Telkom Kenya has named Michael Ghossein as its new chief executive officer to succeed Dominic Saint-Jean as the telecommunications company begins the second phase of its strategic expansion.
Ghossein, the former CEO of Orange Jordan, replaces Saint-Jean who will take up a new role as the senior advisor for the France Telecom Group in East Africa.
Ghossein was named after a board of directors' meeting in Nairobi. He has experience of over 23 years in the telecommunications industry.
Ghossein, a Lebanese national, has worked with France Telecom affiliates in Reunion Island, France, Romania, Bahrain and Jordan. He has unique experience in setting up affiliates in markets where they are strong competitors in the sector.
Ghossein told a news conference in Nairobi that he would steer Telkom Kenya through a period of growth in the data market following the construction of two fibre-optic cables that are expected to usher in an era of cheap broadband services.
"We will invest in fibre optic cable to improve the quality of our network, improve the quality of services and expand customer base," Ghossein told journalists in Nairobi.
He commended his predecessors' leadership during the first phase of Telkom Kenya's strategic plan. "I would pay tribute to the whole team who with Saint-Jean's inspirational leadership has achieved so much, and I inspire to take on leadership of the second strategic phase with as much passion and dedication," said Ghossein.
Ghossein comes in at a time when fierce competition in the sector is set to switch to provision of data services as a means to increase revenue as voice's share of the market shrinks. Safaricom, the market leader, and Zain Kenya currently control 95 percent of the voice market.
Ghossein's exemplary reputation is derived from his stewardship of Jordan Telecom Group to new levels of performance, successfully integrating three separate services -- fixed, mobile and internet under one converged services offering.
This move saw the company's revenue grow by 14 percent and the customer base by 65 percent. Ghossein's appointment comes as Telkom Kenya prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary next month and reap the benefits from TEAMs fibre optic cable in which the company has a 20 percent stake.
The outgoing CEO, Saint-Jean, successfully led Telkom Kenya during its re-launch phase beginning in December 2007.
Saint-Jean presided over significant events that indicated a turnaround of the company last year including the re-brand of Telkom Kenya, the launch of the new commercial brand, Orange, the launch of Orange Business Services, as well as the launch of the new GSM service, Orange Mobile, which in addition to recruiting an incredible million customers within just 8 months, also effectively made Telkom Kenya the only integrated telecommunications provider in Kenya offering fixed line, wireless and intern services.
Saint-Jean, who has been at the helm for 18 months, took over from Sammy Kirui after the privatization of Telkom Kenya following France Telecom's acquisition of a 51 percent stake in the company.
He took over the company when Telkom Kenya had only 280,000 subscribers to its landline network and has since managed to net another one million subscribers on the mobile network launched during his tenure.
In the 18 months he has held the position, Saint-Jean has overseen the restructuring of the company, which included reducing the number of staff, bringing in fresh talent to transform the loss-making company into profitability and aligning the company's strategy with the Orange global strategy.