Ooredoo Group CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo elected to GSMA Board
Two-year term on the 26-member Board runs from January 2027 to December 2028
Doha, Qatar, 5 October 2026: Ooredoo Group today announced that its Group Chief Executive Officer, Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, has been elected to the GSMA Board of Directors for the 2027–2028 term.
The GSMA Board comprises 26 senior representatives from global mobile operators, including multinational groups and smaller independent operators. It provides strategic direction to the GSMA as it works to advance the mobile industry and unlock the full power of connectivity for people, businesses and society.
Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, Group Chief Executive Officer, Ooredoo, said: “I thank the GSMA members for their trust and look forward to working with the Chair and fellow Board members to strengthen our industry’s ability to invest and compete. Operators are committing substantial capital to the infrastructure that underpins the digital economy. Sustainable returns and supportive policies are essential to maintaining that commitment and bringing the benefits of connectivity and AI to more people and businesses.”
Ooredoo will bring to the Board a regional perspective grounded in its operations across MENA and Southeast Asia, with practical experience of building digital infrastructure businesses alongside its telecom operations. This experience, together with the Group’s continued engagement on policy and regulatory matters, will inform its contribution to the GSMA’s work on sustainable investment and digital development.
Since taking the helm in November 2020, Fakhroo has led Ooredoo’s transformation from a traditional telecom operator into a leading digital infrastructure provider across MENA and Southeast Asia. Under his leadership, the Group has strengthened its core operations while building an integrated digital infrastructure ecosystem spanning networks, data centres, international connectivity and AI compute. His background in finance and investment has brought a disciplined focus on capital allocation and shareholder returns. In 2025, reported net profit reached an all-time high, marking four consecutive years of double-digit net profit growth.
The new GSMA Board will serve from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2028. Please find the full list of the Board at www.gsma.com.
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About Ooredoo
Ooredoo Group is a leading international communications company building the region’s most advanced digital infrastructure - spanning leading wireless and fiber networks, AI-ready data centres, cloud & AI compute platforms, subsea cable systems, and platform businesses like Fintech. Operating in nine markets across the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia, Ooredoo serves nearly 150 million customers, enabling digital transformation at scale.
As of 31 December 2025, Ooredoo generated full-year Revenue of QAR 24.6 billion. Its shares are listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.
About the GSMA
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Its vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This work includes advancing policy, tackling major societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem through the MWC and M360 series of events.
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