Etisalat’s Group names new GCFO

Etisalat has appointed Serkan Okandan as a new Group Chief Financial Officer. This appointment comes amid the requirements of the new phase the company is pursuing to strengthen its position regionally and globally. Okandan is expected to join the company within a month.

Okandan is a recognized expert in regional and international telecoms. He came to Etisalat from Turkcell enriched with years of experience as a Group Chief Financial Officer and as the acting CEO to Ukraine operations in 2010.

He started his professional career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1992. Prior to his appointment as a GCFO to Turkcell, he was entrusted with the job of Group Financial Controller and Head of Reporting Division at Turkcell.

In his prior assignment as a GCFO he led the finance function of a publicly quoted company Turkcell and its operations across eight different countries. He was known for his wealth of experience in merger and acquisitions businesses, and conducted a number of deals estimated at millions of dollars through bonds, syndications, acquisitions and divestitures activities regionally and internationally.

Commenting on the appointment, Etisalat’s Group Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar said, “The appointment of Serkan Okandan as Group Chief Financial Officer is at the heart of Etisalat business to attract the best talent, and will bring further impetus to the realization of the Etisalat Group strategy to become one of the world’s leading telecommunications companies.

“With the wealth experience Okandan has, we are confident that he will be a great value to help lead the group to the next phase ahead.

Okandan will help Etisalat to focus on optimizing and value creation from its operations in the existing markets, grow in adjacent opportunities and selectively expanding beyond the 18 countries we operate in,” Julfar added.

In his first statement following the appointment, Okandan said: “I’m pleased to be selected by Etisalat as a Group Chief Financial Officer and the entrusted confidence in me by the company to lead the group finance to the next phase.” He added “It is a pretty big responsibility yet I’m glad to have chance to be part of it and excited as it’s going to be an interesting journey.”

Serkan Okandan is a graduate of Bosphorus University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences.

He started his career as a senior auditor in PricewaterhouseCoopers and then worked as a Financial Controller for DHL Worldwide Express and Frito Lay before he joined Turkcell group in 2000.

He is a Board member of all Turkcell domestic and international subsidiaries.