Marwan Hayek
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Marwan Hayek | |
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Marwan Hayek in 2012 | |
| Born | 7 September 1969 Beirut, Lebanon |
| Nationality | Lebanese |
| Education | Telecommunications Electrical Engineering Management Finance |
| Alma mater | Faculté polytechnique de Mons |
| Occupation(s) | Chairman and CEO of Alfa Telecom |
| Known for | Orascom Telecom Alfa Telecom |
Marwan Hayek (born 7 September 1969) is a telecoms executive and digital economy specialist who lead the team that built the first GSM network in Lebanon.[1] Currently the CEO of Alfa Telecom in Lebanon, Marwan has over 18 years experience in the telecom sector across the MENA region. He has a well established network of senior business relationships with the major communications companies in the region.
Education
Hayek holds a Master’s degree in Telecommunications and Electrical Engineering from the Faculte Polytechnique de Mons in Belgium. He attended and participated in several technical, IT and Management trainings including CCL, MEIRC, HEC, INSEAD, MIT & Harvard.
Career
Hayek started his career with France Telecom in Lebanon – Cellis, known currently as Alfa, where he was part of the initial team that built the first GSM network in Lebanon, before joining later on the Orascom Telecom Holding in 1999. Hayek has held several assignments within the Orascom Telecom Group’s subsidiaries and its Holding, the latest before his current appointment was in September 2007, where he joined Mobinil - Egypt as VP Technology in charge of both network and IT infrastructure.
Prior to Mobinil, Hayek was the CTO of Mobilink in Pakistan (an OTH subsidiary) between June 2003 and September 2007. Between 2000 and 2002, Hayek was part of the team who built Sabafon’s network in Yemen in the position of CTO. The work of Hayek contributed to the growth of OTH to over 120Msubs where he contributed directly to building an infrastructure capable of handling more than 60 million subscribers.
He took the helm of Alfa, the first Lebanese mobile operator managed by Orascom Telecom, as its Chairman and CEO, since the beginning of 2010. He lead the introduction of the 3G+ technology that was first launched in October 2011[2] as well as the introduction of 4G-LTE technology in May 2013. The Lebanese internet cable networks do not currently support fibre optics and the introduction of 3G+ followed by 4G-LTE gave access to the Lebanese people to high-speed internet.
Since 1999, following the winning of the Management Agreement of Alfa by Orascom Telecom in February 2009 and in addition to his position at Mobinil, Hayek was appointed on the Board of MIC1-Lebanon and Orascom Telecom Lebanon. Since November 2014, he also sits at the Board of Directors of WIS Telecom (an OTMT international carrier subsidiary operating out of Belgium and Italy).
Political Controversy
In 2015 there was a controversy where the Governmental Tender Office claimed that Hayek did not submit the tender for the renewal of Alfa's governmental regulated contract on time and the Prime Minister's office disqualified Orascom from taking part in the bidding. The Shura Council cancelled the decision and ordered the Tender Office to endorse the company’s application. The council also urged it to conduct a public and equally competitive bid.[3]
Awards and recognition
Hayek has received several awards in recognition of his contributions to the telecom sector’s development in Lebanon and the MENA region. In June 2011, he was awarded the Pan Arab “Telecommunications Man of the Year” title by the “Pan Arab Web Awards Academy.”[4] In 2012, he received the “Visionary Entrepreneur Award” at the Business Forum 2012 and he was awarded the “Golden Order of Merit for Leadership" from the “Arab Administrative Development Organization” (ARADO), an affiliate of the League of Arab States, and “Tatweej” Academy.[5]
For his contribution to the advancement of Lebanon’s digital economy, Hayek was awarded the “Golden Award for Leadership in Digital Economy” from “Tatweej” Academy.[6]
Personal life
Hayek is married, with two children and lives in Beirut, Lebanon. He speaks Arabic, English and French.
In 2015 Naguib Sawiris was listed in Forbes magazine as the 577th richest person in the world, with a personal wealth of $3.1 billion.[7]
References
- ^ "The Next Step". The Business year. TBY. January 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "Alfa Lebanon on Lebanese Telecom Sector, 3G and Regulations". Marcopolis. Marcopolis, LLC. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "Decision Banning Alfa Operator From Telecom Tenders Annulled". The Daily Star. The Daily Star. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "Marwan Hayek is 'Telecommunications Man of the Year' (Lebanon)". Mark Thomas. African Telecom News. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "Marwan Hayek Receives Golden Order of Merit". Telecom Review. Telecom Review. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "Tatweej Official Website".
- ^ "The World's Billionaires", Forbes. 25th January 2015.
External links