Marwan Hayek

Marwan Hayek is the former Chief Executive Officer of Alfa Telecom in Lebanon.[1]

Marwan Hayek
Hayek in 2012
Born (1969-09-07) 7 September 1969
Beirut, Lebanon
NationalityLebanese
EducationTelecommunications
Electrical Engineering
Management
Finance
Alma materFaculté polytechnique de Mons
OccupationChairman and CEO of Alfa Telecom
Known forOrascom Telecom Alfa Telecom

Born 7 September 1969, Hayek is a telecoms executive and digital economy specialist who was part of the team that built the first GSM network in Lebanon.[2] Marwan has over 18 years experience in the telecom sector across the MENA 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.[3]

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.[4] 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. Under Hayek, OTH grew to over 120M subscribers.

Hayek took the helm of Alfa, the first Lebanese mobile operator managed by Orascom Telecom, as its chairman and CEO, since the beginning of March 2010.[5][6] He led the introduction of the 3G+[7] technology that was first launched in October 2011[8] 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.[9]

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).

The mobile penetration rate in Lebanon is close to saturation, indexed at 94% as per beginning year 2016.[10]

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.[11][12] The telecom operators in Lebanon are government regulated and have to go back to the Minister of Telecommunications whenever they want to invest in the network.[13]

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".[14] In 2012, he received the "Visionary Entrepreneur Award" at the Business Forum 2012[15] 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.[16]

For contributions to the advancement of Lebanon's digital economy, Hayek was awarded the "Golden Award for Leadership in Digital Economy" from "Tatweej" Academy.[17] He was awarded the "International Hisham Jaroudi Championship" trophy for support of sports development in Lebanon.[18]

Personal life

Hayek is married, with three children and lives in Beirut, Lebanon. He speaks Arabic, English and French.

References
  1. "Alfa Telecom Management Team". Alfa Telecom. 24 January 2010. Archived from the original on 21 July 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  2. "The Next Step". The Business year. TBY. January 2012. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  3. "Marwan Hayek, Alfa's New Chairman & CEO". Lebanon Opportunities. Infopro sal. April 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  4. "Wired Up". The Business year. TBY. July 2012. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  5. "Interview with Marwan Hayek - CEO and Chairman of ALFA". Arab Communication Consult. ACC. 8 August 2011. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  6. "Telecom Review Summit Draws World Telecom Leaders". Telecom Review. Trace Media. 15 January 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  7. "Alfa Launches Long-Awaited 3G Services". The Daily Star. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  8. "Alfa Lebanon on Lebanese Telecom Sector, 3G and Regulations". Marcopolis. Marcopolis, LLC. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  9. "Lebanese Telecom Sector Supports The Rapid Growth of the Digital Market". Arab Net. Media ME. 17 March 2013. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  10. "Moving to the Next Level Through Digital Transformation". Telecom Review. Telecom Review. 1 February 2016. Archived from the original on 7 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  11. "Decision Banning Alfa Operator From Telecom Tenders Annulled". The Daily Star. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  12. "Alfa's Orascom To Rejoin Telecom Tender". Business News. InfoPro sal. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  13. "Eye on Lebanon". The CommsMEA. ITP Business Publishing Ltd. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  14. "Marwan Hayek is 'Telecommunications Man of the Year' (Lebanon)". Mark Thomas. African Telecom News. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  15. "Alfa Telecom Awards And Achievements". Alfa Telecom. Alfa Telecom News. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  16. "Marwan Hayek Receives Golden Order of Merit". Telecom Review. Telecom Review. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  17. "Tatweej Official Website".
  18. "Alfa CEO Receives Al Riyadi Club President". Executive Bulletin. Executive Magazine. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
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