On Monday, June 1, 2020, Alan Sinfield became the first substantive Chief Executive Office of 9Mobile, since its name was changed from Etisalat.
Sinfield succeeds Stephane Beuvelet, who had been in acting capacity since November 2018 after the reshuffling of the company’s management.
Let’s look at the pedigree and experience which Sinfield brings to bear in his new position.
Alan Sinfield can be considered a hybrid executive, combining experience and expertise from the Telecommunications industry, as well as the banking industry.
His banking career started with a management trainee program at Bank of America, where he rose through the ranks to become a programmer and business Analyst. He later worked in Frankfurt, Germany, before joining Barclays Bank in South Africa as a technical manager. His desire to work in different countries took him to work in various other banks in Portugal, Slovakia, and Hong Kong.
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He first tested the waters of the telecom industry in Korea when he took up a Merger & Acquisition role with the merger of SK Telecom & Shinsaegi Telecom.
As a telecommunications expert, Sinfield has held leadership roles in several companies including mobile, fixed-line and broadband data operators, fintech and banking sectors. He has also held management positions in retail, media, and wholesale distribution businesses across emerging markets in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
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His experience in the telecoms sector includes a couple of years as Chief Information Officer and Chief Customer Services Officer at Orascom Telecom (IraQna), a subsidiary of the listed Egyptian Telecommunications Group,
He is not new to the office of chief executive, as he has served as CEO for four years at Ooredoo (Starlink), a subsidiary of the listed Qatari Telecommunications Group, operating in Qatar.
At different times, he was also the Chief Executive Officer at Amara Communications Co. (ananda), a 4G LTE mobile broadband operator in Myanmar from 2018 to 2019, as well as the CEO of Cadcomms (qb), in Cambodia from 2010 to 2017.
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He has a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.
As the Chairman of 9mobile, HRH, Alhaji Nasir Bayero, remarked that he is expected to strengthen 9mobile’s market position in Nigeria’s competitive telecoms industry.
Sinfield did pick up the challenge when he promised to use his “experience and unique value propositions to lead the company in the next exciting phase of its journey.”
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