**First Lady to Hold CEO Role in Bahrain’s Telecom Industry**

Batelco Chairman Shaikh Hamad Bin Abdulla Al Khalifa announced today that Mrs. Muna Al Hashemi has been appointed as Acting Bahrain CEO. Mrs. Al Hashemi takes over the lead role for the company’s Bahrain operations from Group CEO Mr. Alan Whelan who has been managing both Bahrain and Batelco Group in recent months.

Mrs. Al Hashemi has been heading Batelco’s Consumer Division since 2008 having joined the Company in 1994 and working diligently to rise through the ranks. With a Master’s degree in Telecommunications and a BSc in Electronic Engineering, Muna began her career in the Engineering Department and gained valuable experience as she progressed through a number of divisions, including Customer Services, Accounts, Product Marketing, Product Development and Customer Marketing. The depth of knowledge of various functional units and processes that Muna has gained in her diverse roles including the experience gained over the past seven years as General Manager of the busy Consumer Division provides her with the necessary skills for the challenging task of leading Batelco’s Bahrain operations.

Mrs. Al Hashemi is also a Board Director at Umniah, Batelco Group’s operation in Jordan.

Batelco Board of Directors congratulates Muna on her successful career with Batelco which has led to her appointment as Acting CEO, and wishes her every success as she embarks on the task of running the Company’s Bahrain operations.

Shaikh Hamad stated that in addition to BOD support Muna is assured of the full support of the Bahrain executive team to assist her in delivering key targets and meet the various goals as outlined in Batelco Bahrain’s strategy.

Mr. Whelan welcomed Mrs. Al Hashemi to the Group’s CEO team and said he looked forward to working alongside her as they tackle the daily challenges of working in such a competitive environment as Bahrain.

The Board of Directors also expressed its appreciation to Mr. Whelan for holding the dual roles of Bahrain and Group over recent months and extended their good wishes to him as he concentrates his focus on the Group’s key aims and strategies.