Robi gets new CEO
Robi Axiata, the second largest mobile phone operator in Bangladesh, has appointed Rajeev Sethi as its new chief executive officer.
Robi has been without a full-time CEO since August last year when Mahtab Uddin Ahmed stepped down.
Since then, Robi Chief Financial Officer Riyaaz Rasheed had been serving as the acting CEO.
Sethi, a former CEO of Grameenphone, took charge this month.
Interestingly, Erik Aas, the CEO of the third largest operator, Banglalink, is also a former CEO of Grameenphone.
These three private mobile network operators rule the roost of the telecom sector in Bangladesh, accounting for 96.36 per cent of subscribers.
Sethi's appointment came at a time when Robi and the other two operators have an opportunity to expand their market share as the telecom regulator has imposed a ban on new SIM sales by Grameenphone, the largest operator in terms of subscribers.
In a press release, joint acting group CEOs of Axiata Group Berhad, Hans Wijayasuriya and Vivek Sood, said, "On behalf of the Axiata Group Management, we take great pleasure in welcoming Rajeev to the Robi family."
"With market leadership in 4G and digital innovation, Robi is now well-poised for its next wave of growth. At this point in Robi's journey, we are very happy to have a widely regarded prolific growth driver like Rajeev Sethi taking on the leadership role of Robi."
"As the company prepares to celebrate its 25th year of operation, Rajeev's leadership will certainly generate fresh momentum for Robi's competitive strides in the Bangladesh market."
On assuming the role of Robi's CEO, Sethi said, "I am very excited to have the privilege of working with the leading digital company of Bangladesh, Robi Axiata Limited."
"Over the years, it has truly evolved into a digital telco that thrives on innovation. The best part is that the culture of innovation is deeply entrenched in Robi which bodes well for future growth. I am very confident that with the support of the team Robi, we can make a significant gain in market share in the coming days."
Sethi has significant ICT industry experience, including executive engagements in companies such as Vodafone, HP, Hutchison Telecom and Asian Paints.
Sethi joins Robi following notable success in turning around Myanmar's leading mobile operator, Ooredoo, as its CEO.
He attained an MBA in marketing, finance and operations from the Indian Institute of Management in Lucknow.
In July, Robi had 5.48 crore mobile phone subscribers in a market of 18.40 crore, just behind market leader Grameenphone, which has 8.4 crore subscribers, showed data from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.
Shares of Robi were unchanged at Tk 30 at Dhaka Stock Exchange yesterday.
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