Ooredoo Oman Names Al Sulaiti as CEO in Rare Female Appointment

(Bloomberg) --

Ooredoo Oman appointed Noor Al Sulaiti as chief executive officer, a rare female appointment in the Gulf where every other listed telecom firm is led by men.

Al Sulaiti, who will replace Ian Dench, previously led Ooredoo unit Starlink and has been with the group since 2004. Ooredoo Oman is a unit of Qatar’s Ooredoo QPSC.

Of late, Gulf states have been pushing for gender diversity in top leadership positions and board rooms. Oman this year named women to the board of its stock exchange and to lead the company that controls the country’s biggest oil block.

Read: Rare Middle East Push for Women on Boards Runs Into Culture Wall

Neighboring United Arab Emirates now requires listed companies to have at least one woman on their boards. First Abu Dhabi Bank, the nation’s biggest lender, appointed a woman as its CEO in January.

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