Zain Group has announced that the Board of TASC Towers Holding has appointed Kamil Hilali as Chief Executive Officer. Hilali takes over from Iyad Mazhar, the founder of TASC and Digital Infrastructure Assets LLP (DIA). Mazhar will remain a shareholder and board member, continuing to support TASC’s strategic growth.
Hilali has served as Zain Group’s Chief Strategy Officer since March 2018. During his tenure, he led initiatives such as the ‘4SIGHT’ strategy, which helped transform Zain from a mobile-focused company into a digital service provider. He is also credited with launching the ‘4WARD-Progress with Purpose’ corporate strategy to accelerate Zain’s evolution into a technology and investment conglomerate.
Bader Al Kharafi, Vice-Chairman & Group CEO of Zain Group and Chairman of TASC, said, “As a key member of the Zain Group executive team since 2018 involved in many significant milestones, we are confident of Kamil’s ability to build on TASC Towers’ legacy and scale itto new heights. He joins TASC at an important stage of the entity’s evolution, building upon the many achievements accomplished by the TowerCo under the leadership of Iyad Mazhar.”
Al Kharafi added that after closing an imminent transaction with Ooredoo Group, TASC will own about 30,000 towers across Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, Algeria, and Tunisia. The combined enterprise value is estimated at $2.2 billion with annual revenue near $500 million.
He further stated: “I would like to express my profound gratitude to Iyad for his leadership in overseeing the transaction through, which Zain Group, Ooredoo Group, and DIA entered into definitive agreements to create the largest independent tower company in the MENA region.”
Al Kharafi continued: “Over the last five years, TASC has operated as an independent digital infrastructure company initially acquiring and managing the physical tower infrastructure of Zain Jordan and Zain Iraq on a sale-and-leaseback basis, creating substantial value.”
He concluded: “As a fellow Board member of TASC, I look forward to working closely with all board members in providing Kamil the support and resources to manage TASC’s existing assets and finalize the integration of tower assets with Ooredoo Group, that will place the region on the world telecom tower map, reduce the region’s carbon footprint and drive growth and value for all shareholders.”
TASC Towers will continue its neutral-host business model by operating independently while offering shared telecom infrastructure services to various mobile network operators in its markets.
Kamil Hilali brings more than two decades of experience in strategy and corporate development. His background includes roles in business development activities such as IPOs and mergers & acquisitions within Zain Group since joining in 2011 as Director for corporate finance and business planning.
Hilali holds degrees from institutions including Morocco’s National School of Mineral Industry (BSc), Suffolk University (MBA), London Business School (Masters in Finance), and completed venture capital training at Stanford University. He currently serves on boards for both Zain KSA and Swiss-based e-commerce platform Zoodmall.
