Türk Telekom appoints Rami Aslan as new CEO

ISTANBUL - Reuters

Türk Telekom has appointed a new chief executive, the third since Turkey’s biggest telecoms company was privatized in 2008.

Board member Rami Aslan was named as replacement for Hakam Kanafani, who had been CEO since 2010, according to an e-mailed statement from the company. Kanafani will remain on the board.

Two other senior executives - Tahsin Yilmaz, who had been general manager for 15 months, and
Mustafa Uysal, chief financial officer - will now serve as advisors to Aslan, the statement said.

Dubai-based Oger Telecom, which is part-owned by Saudi Telecom, holds 55 percent of Turk Telekom, while 13.3 percent is traded on the Istanbul stock exchange after Turkey privatised the stake for $1.87 billion in 2008.

The Turkish government retains a 32 percent share in Türk Telekom, which also controls the broadband service TTNet and Turkey’s third largest mobile-phone operator, Avea.

A former Citigroup banker, Aslan joined Oger in 2005 and he eventually served as chief executive of Oger Telecom, according to a biography provided by Türk Telekom.