**New Chief Executive Officer to lead Batelco Group**

Batelco Group (Ticker: BATELCO), the international telecommunications Group with operations across 14 countries, is delighted to announce the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer for the Batelco Group.

Taking on the role of Group CEO is Mr. Alan Whelan, whose business career has seen him successfully lead a number of large scale international businesses in the ICT sector. He brings to the company a wealth of knowledge and vast proven experience in the telecom industry and adjacent fields.

Mr. Whelan began his career with Fujitsu/ICL before moving to BT Plc where he held a number of leadership roles including Business Manager and Global Joint Venture Leader, in which he was instrumental in setting up Concert – a joint venture with AT&T Corporation and at the time the largest JV business ever established.   Subsequently, Mr. Whelan spent four years with AT&T, first as Vice President – Europe, Middle East & Africa, Concert and latterly as Vice President – Global Service Provider Markets.

He subsequently held key roles with Cable and Wireless Plc, including Managing Director of C&W Wholesale & Enterprise businesses, and Non-Executive Chairman of CTM – a full-service telecommunications provider in the Macau special administrative region of China. He has also served as President – Europe, Middle East & Africa in the Indian owned Reliance Globalcom business.

Mr. Whelan has also served as a board director in other sectors, including as Executive Director of The DX Group – a private equity backed logistics business. Mr. Whelan has also been a key figure within his community working for various charitable organisations. He is currently a trustee and board member of Bletchley Park Trust, a world renowned museum, heritage and education centre, and has served as vice-chair of the finance committee for Alfriston School, a special secondary school for girls with learning difficulties.

Mr. Whelan holds a Masters Degree – Master of Management from McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and an INSEAD diploma in International Management.

Batelco Chairman Shaikh Hamad bin Abdulla Al Khalifa said that on behalf of the Board of Directors and executive management at Batelco, he would like to welcome Mr. Whelan to Batelco and to wish him well as he takes on the challenging role at the helm of the Batelco Group.

“Mr. Whelan has a proven record of achievement and we are confident that he has the necessary credentials to meet the stringent criteria required for this key role. My colleagues on the Board and the executive management team are looking forward to working alongside Mr. Whelan and offering our full support,” he added.

Shaikh Hamad concluded by extending his appreciation to the Supervisory Committee of the Board of Directors who took on the role of the Group Chief Executive Officer while the search was carried out for a new CEO.