Wataniya’s Gegenheimer resigns in order to "pursue other opportunities"

The chief executive of Wataniya, Kuwait’s No. 2 telecoms operator, has resigned, parent company Qatar Telecom (Qtel) said.

Qtel announced that Scott Gegenheimer left to "pursue other opportunities" and his deputy Abdulaziz Fakhroo has been promoted to acting chief executive.

Gegenheimer joined Wataniya in 2002 and became CEO in 2008.

Fakhroo was appointed deputy chief executive earlier this year.

Qtel owns a 52.5 per cent stake in Wataniya, which in turn has operations in Kuwait, Tunisia, Algeria, the Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives.

The operator reported a 90-per cent drop in first-quarter net profit for Q112, with earnings from the prior-year period boosted by a one-off fair value gain.