Telkom Kenya Friday unveiled Mickael Ghossein as its new Chief Executive Officer.

The Jordianian who takes over from Frenchman Dominic-Saint Jean, will lead the company through the next strategic phase.

Dominique Saint Jean will take up a new role as the Senior Advisor for the France Telecom Group in East Africa.

Mickael Ghossein was announced as the new CEO by the company's board of directors following a board meeting earlier this week.

Mickael joins Telkom Kenya from affiliate - Jordan Telecom Group, where he was CEO and brings to the table over 23 years experience in the telecommunications industry. Mickael, a Lebanese national, has worked with France Telecom affiliates in Reunion Island, France, Romania, Bahrain and Jordan and has unique experience in setting up affiliates in markets where there are strong competitors in the sector.

He successfully led Telkom Kenya during its re-launch phase beginning December 2007.

Dominique presided over significant events that indicated a turnaround at  of the company last year including the re-brand of Telkom Kenya, the launch of the new commercial brand, Orange, the launch of Orange Business Services  as well as the launch of the new GSM service, Orange Mobile,  which, in addition to recruiting an incredible million customers within just 8 months, also effectively made Telkom Kenya the only truly integrated telecommunications provider in Kenya offering fixed line, wireless, GSM and internet services.

Dominique Saint-Jean will now move into a new role which will see him advise on several activities across East Africa for the France Telecom Group.

Speaking at a media luncheon, Mickael commended his predecessor's leadership during the first phase of Telkom Kenya's strategic plan saying, "I would like to pay tribute to the whole team who with Dominique's inspirational leadership have achieved so much, and I aspire to take on leadership of the second strategic phase with as much passion and dedication.

The new CEO joins a newly revitalized management team including Jane Karuku, Head of Support Services; Stephen Kiptinness, Head of Regulatory Affairs; Angela Ng'ang'a-Mumo, Head of Corporate Communications and Mary Kita, Head of HR.

Mickael's exemplary reputation is derived from his stewardship of Jordan Telecom Group to new levels of performance, successfully integrating three separate services: fixed, mobile and internet under one converged services offering.

This move saw the company's revenue grow by 14% and the customer base expand by 65%.  

Mickael also served as the CEO of MobileCom which is the second leading GSM operator in Jordan driving the company to more than double its revenue growth.

Mickael's extensive experience in increasing customer base through the effective provision of converged services is expected to further consolidate Telkom Kenya's unique position in the market.

‘Mickael's past experience, financial acumen and extensive public company experience will be instrumental in successfully realizing the growth and opportunities that we envision for Telkom Kenya," said Marc Rennard, Telkom Kenya Board Chairman. "He will be passionately focused on delivering more for customers in Kenya."

Mickael's appointment comes as Telkom Kenya prepares to celebrate its tenth anniversary next month and reap the benefits of the TEAMS fibre optic cable in which the company has a 20% stake.