Caption: Vodafone Fiji’s chief operating officer Pradeep Lal will succeed Mr Aslam Khan as managing director.
Vodafone Managing Director to Retire
It’s now official. Vodafone Fiji has announced the retirement of its Managing Director Mr. Aslam Khan from the company at the end of June. Mr. Khan has been at the helm of Vodafone Fiji as its first and only Managing Directors to-serve in that position since the inception of the company. The decision to retire will bring to a close of a remarkable and illustrious career of nearly 20 years of continuous service to the company and its shareholders.
A statement from the Board Chairman, Mr. Ajith Kodagoda stated that “Mr Aslam Khan has been a strong, committed and visionary leader for the company. It would not be untrue if I said that Vodafone Fiji is what it is today because of his leadership and decades of hard work. Vodafone is the biggest and most identified brand in the country and an employer of choice for many youngsters, because of Mr Khan. He has managed the company from infancy in to some very challenging times and market transitions. The most notable achievement has been to successfully lead the company into competition after the deregulation of the telecommunications sector in 2007.
Vodafone still remains Fiji’s Number 1 mobile network with an estimated 88% market share with 6 years of full competition. Vodafone has given back to all the stakeholders including the people of Fiji through a very strong dividend flow for many years. The board is immensely grateful to Aslam for his innumerable contributions, leadership, and loyalty to the company and his distinguished tenure as Managing Director over the last 20 years.”
Reflecting back on his 20 years at the company, Mr Khan said, “”I’ve been privileged to lead one of the best and top ranked mobile network brands in the world. After almost two decades with the company, it’s time to move on and transfer the baton to a new generation of leadership. I look forward to working with the board and the management in the next few weeks to complete the handover.
Mr Khan further said, “It has been an incredible journey and most satisfying career with Vodafone. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. I am leaving the company in the most capable hands of the next generation of mangers and leaders. I have no doubts that the company will remain the dominant force in the mobile telecommunications industry in the country for many more years. For our customers, shareholders and business partners, the transition will be a seamless exercise. It will be business as usual for all’, said Mr Khan.
It has also been confirmed that Mr. Pradeep Lal, the current Chief Operating Officer at Vodafone will succeed Mr. Aslam Khan at the end of his tenure. Mr. Lal has been with the company for the over 10 years and has comprehensive knowledge of the telecommunication industry and wealth of experience and expertise in the areas of Strategic Planning and Leadership, Finance, Sales and Marketing. Mr Lal has been Aslam’s “trusted and go to man” and the key strategist for the business and has played an instrumental role in phenomenal growth of the company.
A Chartered Accountant by profession, Mr. Lal has worked in various industries including Telecommunications, IT, Manufacturing and Audit. Mr. Lal has served in various capacities in the company and has held the portfolio of the Chief Finance Officer, Chief Marketing Officer and the Head of Corporate Sales at different times. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer and Board Secretary of the company.
Mr. Lal is also a Certified Practicing Accountant with CPA Australia. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Financial Management from the University of the South Pacific. He later pursed MBA under the British Government Scholarship from the Aston University, UK in which he was nominated as the Most Excellent and Outstanding MBA student. Mr. Lal also holds a Diploma in Project Management from the University of New England. He has also undergone the High Performance Leadership training from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Lal has served as the President of the CPA Fiji Branch for 4 years and also as the Vice President of the Fiji Institute of Accountants. He has also been awarded with prestigious awards such as the “Young Accountant for the Year Award”. He has held positions of the Chairmanship for Journal, Congress and Professional Development Committees, Editor of quarterly issue of the Accountants Journal as well as the Chairperson of the organizing committee for Fiji’s most premier business forum- the Accountants Congress and CPA Australia Fiji branch Congress.
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