9Mobile names Alan Sinfield as new CEO

9Mobile has announced the appointment of Alan Sinfield as the new Chief Executive Officer.

Alan Sinfield became the first substantive Chief Executive Officer 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.

Sinfield brings a wealth of global operational expertise having held leadership roles at numerous mobile, fixed-line and broadband data operators as well as retail, media, and wholesale distribution businesses across emerging markets in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

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.

His global experience covers countries as diverse as the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, Iraq, Qatar, Myanmar, South Korea, Cambodia and Hong Kong. He was previously the Chief Executive Officer at Amara Communications Co. (ananda), a 4G LTE mobile broadband operator in Myanmar, and before this, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Cadcomms (qb), in Cambodia.

Other earlier roles included being CEO at Ooredoo (Starlink), a subsidiary of the listed Qatari Telecommunications Group, operating in Qatar and regionally, and also as Chief Information Officer and Chief Customer Services Officer at Orascom Telecom (IraQna), a subsidiary of the listed Egyptian Telecommunications Group, operating the first mobile network in Baghdad and surrounding territories providing voice and nascent data and satellite services.

Sinfield began his career in the Banking sector at Bank of America, where he was fast-tracked through a Management Trainee programme, later becoming a Programmer and Business Analyst where his desire to work overseas allowed him to close out the IT systems at Bank of America in Frankfurt, Germany.

He later joined Barclays Bank in South Africa and spent three years there as a Technical Manager. He also worked for various other Banks in Portugal, Slovakia, and Hong Kong before his first foray into the telecom industry in Korea with SK Telecom, which led to an M&A role with the merger of SK Telecom & Shinsaegi Telecom.

Commenting on the new appointment, 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.”

Also commenting on his appointment, Sinfield said, “The Nigerian telecoms industry is characterized by strong competition, but it is also an industry that is important to people everywhere. Nigeria is rich in diversity and boasts of energetic, resilient, friendly and hardworking people. I am delighted to join the 9mobile family and I look forward to using my experience and unique value propositions to lead the company in the next exciting phase of its journey.

“The goal is to build on the existing strong foundation of the company to create value that will transform the Nigerian telecoms sector. I also look forward to embracing the people, the culture and the unique knowledge that Nigeria has to offer.”