Vodafone Qatar has appointed a new head, weeks after a similar move by its only rival, Ooredoo Qatar.
Vodafone Qatar (QA:VFQS) has announced the appointment of Ian Gray as CEO, effective today.
He takes over from Kyle Whitehill, who is leaving Vodafone to pursue other opportunities.
Gray joins Vodafone Qatar from Vodafone Egypt where he is currently chairman, was previously CEO and has sat on the board for 14 years.
Prior to joining the Vodafone Group, Gray was CEO of retailer Brown and Jackson and of cableco General Cable, both listed UK companies.
Sheikh Khalid Bin Thani Al-Thani, chairman of Vodafone Qatar, thanked Whitehill and welcomed Gray to the company, saying: “I am sure that Ian’s rich experience will ensure that Vodafone continues to bring better value and world class customer experience to Qatar.”
Last month, rival Ooredoo Qatar also welcomed a new CEO, Waleed Mohamed Al-Sayed, with Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi taking his place as COO.
Vodafone Qatar is 45% owned by the Vodafone and Qatar Foundation (which is 51% owned by Vodafone, and 49% owned by the Qatar Foundation), while the remaining 55% has been in free float on the local stock exchange since 2009.
Announcing half-year results for the period ended 30 September, the company said it had 1.48 million mobile customers, an increase of 8% on the September 2014 result. The company reported half-year revenues of QR1.1bn (US$302m), 7% less than in the same period last year.
The company competes with state-owned Ooredoo. MVNO Virgin, which had run on the incumbent’s network, was ordered to close in 2011.