Mr. Gurkan was appointed CEO of Zain Iraq on May 13, 2024. He is a highly accomplished ICT professional having gained over 30 years’ experience in international telecom and management consulting sectors working with global telecom operators and media companies across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. His strengths extend to corporate strategy, operational and digital transformation, mergers and acquisitions, corporate venturing and entrepreneurship, network and IT outsourcing, cost optimization, marketing, sales and driving customer-centric operating cultures.

Before taking on the CEO role of Zain Iraq, Emre undertook different executive roles within Zain Group as CEO of Zain Lebanon and MTC Touch and prior to that as Zain Group Chief Strategy, Business Development and Digital Officer, cementing the position of the Group within the digital space, focusing on the areas of innovation, digital services, corporate venturing, and smart cities. Prior to that, Emre worked at McKinsey and Kearney in the U.S. and Middle East and with other telecom operators, Oger Telecom (Turk Telekom, Cell C, Cyberia), in the Middle East and Turkcell in Turkey.

Mr. Gurkan holds an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management, an MS in Management Information Systems (MIS) from The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and a BS in Computer Engineering from Istanbul Technical University. He has also undertaken research on Corporate Finance at MIT and published three white papers and a book on Relationship Management. Mr. Gurkan was a board member of World Economic Forum’s “Internet For All” initiative and was previously a member of Chief Strategy Officers’ Group (CSOG) at GSMA.

Mr. Musleh was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Zain Iraq in 2015, six years after joining the company. He plays a critical role in Zain Iraq’s senior executive management team, determining Zain Iraq’s strategy, and is responsible for all financial, regulatory, supply chain, and investor relations issues. Mr. Musleh has more than 20 years of track record of solid financial, audit, and managerial experience in the Middle East. Mr. Musleh joined Zain Iraq in 2009 and was thereafter promoted in 2011 to Finance Director. Prior to joining Zain Iraq, Samer had a solid finance and auditing background, specializing in telecommunications and banking, and had a previous role as an audit manager at Ernst and Young. 

Mr. Musleh earned an MBA jointly from the London School of Economics and Political Science, New York University, and HEC Paris and a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Birzeit University. He is also a Chartered Certified Accountant and a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in the UK.

Mr. Samir was appointed Chief Commercial Officer in Feb 2017. Managing marketing, consumer sales, and customer service. He started his career in 2003 with Iraqna-(Orascom Telecom subsidiary) in the marketing department, and he was appointed as the marketing director in 2011. Mohamed has extensive experience in the commercial field and has successfully led several strategic projects in the company and launched several innovative commercial initiatives. As a natural and talented leader, Mohammed contributed heavily to the building and growth of the organization throughout the 20 years of his tenure.

Mr. Samir holds a bachelor’s degree in computer and software engineering from Technology University in Baghdad and an EMBA from the American University of Beirut.

Mr. Ahmed Abdulsalam was appointed as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Zain Iraq in April 2018. He also holds the position of Managing Director at Horizon Scope, a subsidiary of Zain Iraq specializing in Connectivity and ICT Solutions.

He began his career in 2004 at Iraqna and has held many managerial positions since then, including the most recent one as the Director of Operations. He brings wide experience in network transformation, strategy, and development and has delivered various modernization projects during his time at Zain Iraq.

Mr. Ahmed graduated from the University of Technology in Baghdad with a B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering followed by an MBA degree in 2015 from Imperial College London Business School.

Haider Sahel holds the position of Chief of Security and Governmental Sales and Relations officer at Zain Iraq. He started his journey with the company in 2004 in the Government Relations Department, and in 2012, he assumed the role of Director of the Government Relations Department, where he managed several departments within the organization, including the Department of Government Sales, the Department of Archives and Information, the Department of Control and Financial Collection in addition to the Department of Government Relations.

Through his leadership and high visibility for different functions, he ensured that the company’s numerous achievements were made in terms of security, while he effectively organized the company’s external relations with governmental entities.

Rasha joined Zain Iraq in March 2019 bringing more than 17 years of experience and a proven track record of success spanning across all aspects of HR management. In her new position, she oversees talent acquisition and management, innovative organization development, staff training programs, and enhancement of internal policies, systems and procedures.

Prior to joining Zain Iraq, Rasha spent 14 years with Zain Jordan overseeing the HR department.

Rasha holds an MSc in Human Resources Development from the University of Manchester and an MSc in Coaching & Consulting for Change from HEC & Oxford and has completed an executive program at MIT in Mastering Design Thinking.