End of an era as Osman Sultan steps down as du CEO in 2020

UAE telco Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du) has announced the departure of long-standing CEO, Osman Sultan, to be replaced by Johan Dennelind, who is set to assume the role early next year. Sultan has been the CEO of du since its launch in 2006.

Dennelind brings 25 years of experience in the telecom and IT industries. He is currently Group CEO of Nordic telco Telia. He previously held roles with Telia in the Nordics, Brazil and Sri Lanka, as well as having been appointed Deputy CEO of Telenor in Sweden. Dennelind later took on roles as the Chief Financial Officer and CEO of Digi in Malaysia, which was also part of the Telenor Group. He also oversaw Vodafone and Vodacom’s seven businesses across Africa.

Sultan leaves du at a time the operator is ramping up its 5G deployment in the UAE. The telco reported a year-on-year decline in its consolidated revenues for H1 2019, down a concerning 5.3%. At the time, du reported that total capital expenditure for H1 2019 amounted to AED467 million (USD 127 million), much of it going on “paving the way for the commercial launch of 5G technology” and preparing the telco for “a new era in connectivity.”