Robi’s new MD & CEO takes charge tomorrow
Dhaka, Oct. 31, 2016: Mahtab Uddin Ahmed will take over the charge of Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Robi Axiata Limited. He will be succeeding Supun Weerasinghe who had served the company since January 2014.
Supun will return to Dialog Axiata Plc (Dialog), Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider as its Group CEO effective 1 January 2017.
The changeover in leadership marks the culmination of the succession programme planned and executed over the past several years centred on the Accelerated Leadership Development Programme of the Axiata Group. Mahtab’s appointment as MD and CEO came as part of Robi’s ongoing efforts towards developing and promoting local Bangladeshi talent.
Commenting on Mahtab’s succession, Axiata Group Berhad’s President and Group CEO Tan Sri Jamaluddin Ibrahim said: “We are pleased to appoint Mahtab as the new CEO of our Bangladesh operations, an important and key market for the Group. Over the years, talent management has been a key part of the Axiata strategy and our relentless focus on leadership development has today ensured a pool of capable people ready to take on CEO and leadership roles across our companies. Mahtab’s appointment solidifies Axiata’s Asian Talent Factory promise. As Robi strengthens its position in the market with the merger of Bharti Airtel, I’m confident Mahtab, being the first Bangladeshi, will provide strong leadership and vision for the merged entity.”
The announcement of Mahtab becoming the new CEO came in July this year when he was on a special assignment in Axiata Group. He then returned to Robi’s Leadership team on 1 September 2016 in the capacity of the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, leading up to the completion of succession as CEO.
Mahtab held the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Robi from April 2014 to March 2016. He joined Robi in 2010 as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the position which he held till 2014. Prior to joining Robi, Mahtab spent 17 years of his career with Unilever where he held various business and finance leadership positions including the post of Finance Director in various operating companies like Unilever Pakistan, Unilever Arabia and Unilever Bangladesh.
Mahtab holds a Bachelor of Honours and Masters in Accounting from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is also a Fellow member of Institute of Cost and Management Accountant of Bangladesh (ICMAB), FCMA & CGMA of Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA, UK). He is also an alumnus of the Harvard Business School (AMP 190).
ABOUT ROBI
Robi Axiata Limited is a joint venture between Axiata Group Berhad, of Malaysia and NTT DoCoMo Inc., of Japan. Robi is the second largest mobile phone operator in Bangladesh in terms of revenue, with 27.4 million active subscribers. Robi network provides nationwide coverage to 99% of the population with 13,496 BTS and over 4,600 3.5G sites. Robi proudly claims to have the widest international roaming service in the market, connecting 385 operators across more than 140 countries. It is also the first operator to introduce GPRS and 3.5G services in Bangladesh. The Company has introduced many first of its kind digital services in the country and has invested heavily in taking mobile financial services to the underserved communities in the rural and semi-urban areas.
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