Nine Etisalat Champions Selected for Challenge-of-a-Lifetime

Nine Etisalat Champions Selected for Challenge-of-a-Lifetime

Etisalat’s Team to participate in ‘Diabetes’Cross-Euro cycle tour includes representatives from Ufone

Nine employees from Etisalat’s global operations including representative from Ufone have been picked to take part in a gruelling bicycle tour across five European countries to raise awareness of diabetes and trial mobile technology to help manage the disease.

The 2,100 kilometre GSMA mHealth Grand Tour will begin in September. Following a series of assessments and tests the team selected from Etisalatstaff in the UAE, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Tanzaniawill be riding different legs of the 13-day tour. Beginning in Brussels, the tour takes the athletes across borders.

[blockquote cite=”Abdulkarim Julfar, the Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Group “] The candidates invited to the assessments performed exceptionally and it was extremely difficult to select our squad from such a pool of talent. I thank everyone who has participated in supporting this worthy initiative which is the first of its kind not just for the Etisalat Group but for our industry as a whole.
[/blockquote] [blockquote cite=”Salman Wassay, the Chief Commercial Officer of Ufone”] I think this is a great initiative for a noteworthy cause, especially because Pakistan has the seventh highest number of diabetics in the world. Therefore it’s very important to create awareness about this disease among our masses and what better way it should be than this exciting cycling tour. It is estimated that around 9.4 million people in our country are undiagnosed but have diabetes. This is indeed an alarming figure and the only way to combat this illness is through creating awareness about it. I am delighted that Etisalat has taken this positive step.
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Etisalat’s champions have been selected from different levels of the Group starting from the retail management through to the senior management, with the youngest rider hailing from Egypt along with several other riders, such as Pakistani Muhammed Rizwan, are inspired to participate for showing their support to the family members who are living with diabetes.

Five reserves have also been named in case one of the first nine is unable to participate in September for unforeseen reasons. These includeUsman Ali Akbar from PTCL, Ahmed Shekeb from Etisalat Afghanistan, Omar Okasha from Etisalat Misr, Raza Akram from Ufone and Fraser Graham from the Etisalat Group. Training continues throughout the summer, with the start of the Tour on September 5, in Brussels, Belgium.

More information about the tour can be found at: www.mhealthgrandtour.com