ETISALAT
Etisalat, a telecom operator with its presence in 18 countries, has been named as the Best Telecom Operator in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region, a wide geographic market that covers nearly 30 percent of the world population. Etisalat won four top awards at the recent SAMENA Telecommunications Council Awards that honored the best in telecom industry services, across the geographies including the MENASA region. Selected following an intensive performance-based evaluation of telecom operators across the region, Etisalat also won the awards for Best Customer Experience Provider of the Year and Best FMC Operator of the Year, while the company’s Chairman Mohammad Omran was selected as Best Telecom Operator Leader of the Year. The award recognized his pioneering efforts in leading Etisalat’s achievements regionally and globally, and for his efforts in significantly strengthening the telecom sector across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The SAMENA Awards were distributed at a ceremony held in Morocco recently as part of the Converge to Casablanca 2010 conference, which highlighted the importance of the convergence of industry leaders to discuss key technology areas. Bocar A. Ba, president of SAMENA Telecom-munications Council, said: “Etisalat has always been an active participant and keen supporter of various efforts in promoting collaborative solutions and knowledge-sharing within the telecommunications industry.”
ROLLS-ROYCE
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ sales in the Middle East have grown by over 150 percent during the first three quarters of 2010, in comparison to the same period last year. This achievement follows Rolls-Royce’s announcement that the manufacturer had doubled sales in the region in the first half of the year — its best sales result ever in the Middle East to date. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos said Rolls-Royce’s exceptional performance was driven by the success of the marque’s two model line-up, “The Middle East region is one of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars most important markets and will be key to continued growth of the brand worldwide. Strong sales for the new Ghost, sustained demand for the pinnacle in automotive luxury — the Phantom family and a unique, flexible Bespoke personalization program have all contributed to the outstanding results in the Middle East,” said Anees Jamjoom, MD, Mohammed Yousuf Naghi Motors, the sole Rolls-Royce dealer in the Kingdom. “The newly opened showroom in Riyadh and the ongoing work on the new showroom in Jeddah will further strengthen the brand experience in the Kingdom.” Four of the world’s top 10 selling bespoke dealers are based in the Gulf. “The Middle East is home to Rolls-Royce’s most discerning customers and as such our bespoke program, which allows customers to realize their personal vision for their own car, remains a consistent driver for our sales success in the region,” said Muller-Otvos.
SACC
Saudi Airlines Cargo Company (SACC) has announced the appointment of Peter Scholten as VP Commercial. He formerly held the position of VP Americas with Martinair. Scholten, who will be based in Jeddah, will be responsible for sales and marketing activities throughout the SACC network and will report to EVP Michael Meagher. Saud Arab, formerly VP-sales and marketing, will take over the position as VP network and schedules planning. “We are delighted Peter has joined the Saudi Airlines Cargo Company. With his vast knowledge of the industry and his international experience he will be a tremendous asset to us and will lead our ambitious plans to expand and develop our business throughout the world. I look forward to working with him,” said Meagher. Scholten said: “I am proud to have joined the SACC family and a.m. eager to assist the company in achieving the ambitious growth targets over the next few years.”
AMADEUS
Amadeus has announced that Akbar Travels, one of India’s largest and fastest growing travel agencies, has selected the Amadeus Selling Platform to drive sales in its home market of India and expansion plans across the Middle East. K.V. Abdul Nazar, chairman and MD, Akbar Travels, said: “Amadeus’ commitment to the Middle East and its strategic collaboration with the Arab Air Carriers Organization, coupled with the company’s expertise and leadership in the Indian market, makes it the ideal partner to support our growth in these markets. With the Amadeus platform, Akbar Travels can access a wider range of more reliable content, and consistently lower fares. The Platform’s easy to use interface will also help our travel agents to increase productivity and efficiency in their daily operations.” The platform is described as the world’s most-used retailing application for travel professionals. Over 90,000 travel agency points of sale worldwide use the Amadeus system and over 55,000 airline sales office use it as their internal sales and reservations system, with access to over 275 of the world’s leading hotel chains, 25 car rental companies and 95 percent of all scheduled airline seats worldwide, Antoine Medawar, VP, Middle East & North of Africa, Amadeus said, “The Amadeus Selling Platform solution will not only help the travel agency to increase productivity, but will also empower them to offer better customer service and gain higher returns on investment.”
AAAC
Abdullatif Alissa Automotive Company (AAAC), an authorized dealer of General Motors in Saudi Arabia and member of National Automotive Trading (NAT), which is a member of Abdullatif Alissa Holding Group, has in fulfillment of its social corporate responsibility launched a new program for training and employment of people with special needs in various departments of the company. The company has been cooperating with relevant institutions and specialized societies to coordinate with them for the recruitment and training of employees with special needs. In this regard, in 2004 the company signed an agreement with Human Resources Development Fund for the Saudization of its staff, and opened Alissa Center for Training and Development in collaboration with Saudi Vocational Training Organization and started training a group of people with special needs. Isam Mojalad, CEO of Automotive Sector in the company, said: “Alissa Automotive Company has started its recruiting program for people of special needs where four of them are already employed this year. We hope to increase the number by the end of this year. Our staff of special needs, particularly those who are physically challenged, are treated like regular employees but provided with certain facilities, such as special entrance, elevators and hallways, to enable them to reach their offices smoothly and easily.” After rehabilitation and training, they work in various company departments.
SAMSUNG
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a major mobile phone provider, has announced the commercial availability of the Samsung Galaxy Tab in the Saudi market. The first mobile tablet from Samsung shares many of the powerful characteristics of the Galaxy S smart phone lineup that launched this summer. The Galaxy Tab is designed with several enhancements to create a unique mobile experience that other products can’t deliver. The Galaxy Tab features a brilliant 7-inch enhanced TFT display screen, 1GHz Hummingbird Application processor supporting 3D graphics and smooth Web browsing and front and rear-facing cameras for video chat while on-the-go. The Galaxy Tab is powered by Android 2.2 including full support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1. Just like the Galaxy S smart phones, the Galaxy Tab includes Samsung’s Social Hub application and the new Media Hub content service, offering a robust collection of premium movies and TV episodes from some of the biggest entertainment companies. “The addition of Galaxy Tab to the Galaxy product portfolio is a powerful proof point of Samsung’s commitment to bring new and innovative mobile experiences to Saudi consumers,” said Inamullah Butt, Marketing and PR manager, Samsung Electronics, Saudi Arabia. “The 7-inch display and thin, lightweight design, combined with premium content and productivity tools makes the Galaxy Tab a true mobile tablet that is as comfortable to use standing in a crowded line as it is relaxing on the couch at home.”
