Mobily CEO steps down; Nezar Banabeela named as new CEO

Etihad Etisalat Co., widely known as Mobily, has announced the resignation of its current Chief Executive Officer, Eng. Salman Abdulaziz Al Badran, effective February 23, 2025.

The reason for his departure is his request for the non-renewal of the contract as stated in an official disclosure on Tadawul, “The company has accepted the request from the Company’s CEO, Eng. Salman Abdulaziz Al Badran, for the non-renewal of his contract, effective from Feb 23, 2025.”

To take over CEO responsibilities, Mobily has appointed Eng. Nezar Banabeela as Salman’s successor. Nezar will step into the new role effective February 24, 2025.

In his new role, Nezar brings over two decades of leadership experience and currently serves as the Head of Special Projects at STC Saudi Arabia. He previously served at STC as the CEO in Bahrain and held other leadership roles. This new appointment marks his return to Mobily, as he previously served as the General Manager of Partnership in 2014. In other roles, he has served at Bahri as President and at the Saline Water Conversion Corporation as a Project Engineer.

Sharing a brief introduction about the new CEO, the company stated, “Eng. Nezar Banabeela has previously worked at Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily) as Executive General Manager, in addition to his previous work at the General Presidency for the Holy & Prophet’s Mosque and one of the companies affiliated with the Saudi Water Authority. Eng. Nezar holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computers from Umm Al-Qura University and has obtained many professional certificates from the University of Cambridge and London Business School. He also holds a certificate in the General Management Program from Harvard University.”

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The official statements from both leaders are yet to be released. Meanwhile, the company extended its best wishes to the outgoing CEO, Salman, stating, “The Board of Directors extends its sincere gratitude and appreciation to Eng. Al Badran for his leadership and distinguished achievements over the past six years. His visionary approach has propelled Mobily to new heights, marked by significant operational growth across all segments, establishing the company as a leader in customer experience excellence. Under his guidance, Mobily has achieved record financial and operational results, solidifying trust in the company’s potential. Wishing him continued success.

Mobily has recently won the 'disability-friendly work environment award' for 2024 in a Labor Award ceremony, awarded by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development - KSA, for its commitment to inclusivity and support for employees with disabilities.