GreenN Shoots Special Edition to Q2 2014

GREEN SHOOTS | SPECIAL EDITION PAGE 2 GREEN SHOOTS | SPECIAL EDITION PAGE 3
Word from Group CEO
Agenda: Semi-Annual Strategy Meeting
The Art of Battling Giants
10 Rules of Success
Media Coaching Sessions
Highlights from OpCos
Keynote & Closing Ceremony
Event Highlights
Have Your Say
»
»
»
»
»
»
»
Page: 3
»
Page: 4
Page: 5
Page: 6
Page: 7
Page: 8-9
Page: 10-11
Page: 12-13
» Page: 14-15
Wafik Shater, Group CEO, opened LAP GreenN’s fourth
semi-annual meeting with a warm welcome. LAP GreenN
hosts a company event every six months, in which it
brings together members from the Group and executives
from each of its four operations. Shater expressed his
enthusiasm for this event in particular, due to its focus on
training and development for the Company’s Executives.
LAP GreenN is committed to training its staff and enabling
them to further enhance their careers.
Shater moved on to provide an update on the Group’s
performance to date. He proudly shared that in 2013,
LAP GreenN reported its first ever operating profit. This
is a major achievement for LAP GreenN, whose current
management team inherited the company with massive
amounts of debt and claims when they were appointed
in October 2011. He continued by highlighting that
subscribers, which declined in 2013 due to regulator-
imposed SIM registration processes,have since recovered,
reaching the pre-customer purge levels in Q1 2014. Most
notably, the Group reduced its EBTIDA losses by 38%
year-over-year since 2011. This is a testament to the hard
work of each individual.
Shater then went on to provide the team with more general
updates from the Group. He said that despite challenging
conditions, the Group achieved a number of victories
during the first quarter of 2014. He specifically cited two
further settlement agreements for historical debt, dating
as far back as 2007, and major strides in other claims and
litigations. Since the new management team came on
board, LAP GreenN has proven its dedication to settling all
outstanding debts, achieving five settlement agreements
with longstanding vendors. Shater also reemphasized to
the team that the shareholder continues to offer their full
support to LAP GreenN, despite fluctuating instability in
Libya.
Shater then invited Michelle Hirst, Manager of the CEO
Office,tointroducethethemeofthissemi-annualevent. For
every semiannual meeting, LAP GreenN chooses a theme
relevant to the business to discuss with the larger Group.
This event’s theme was titled “The Art of Battling Giants,”
which is especially relevant to LAP GreenN, whose main
competitors are large telecom players. Hirst explained that
corporate giants do in fact have many weaknesses, which
make them less agile and less innovative than smaller
players. This includes - but is not limited to – heavy red
tape and legacy. Specifically, there is often a cumbersome
approval process, which results in missed opportunities or
late market entry. Large players also become complacent
towards new competitors. For example, Nokia didn’t think
of Apple and Google as competitors until it was too late.
Hirst went on to discuss two examples of “underdogs”
that used winning strategies to take over the leadership
position in their respective industries. Specifically, she
discussed the Netflix and Blockbuster case.
The floor was then handed back over to Shater, who
commended each OpCo’s CEO and executive team for
their individual achievements during the period, including
substantial subscriber growth and reduction in EBTIDA
losses.
WORD
FROM
GROUP
CEOCEOWAFIK SHATER
TABLE OF CONTENTS | SEMI-ANNUAL STRATEGY MEETING

As April drew to a close this year, LAP GreenN hosted
its fourth Group-wide strategy meeting titled “The Art of
Battling Giants.” Over a three day period, Group members
and top management across all operations gathered to
present their accomplishments from the past year and
discuss company’s future direction. The vibrant event
brought together executive team members from LAP
GreenN Group and from their OpCos Uganda Telecom,
Gemtel, Green CI, and Oricel. The first day was dedicated
to an update from the Group CEO Wafik Al Shater as
well as updates from OpCo CEOs. This was followed by
a discussion with Charles Barbain from Sofrecom on the
meeting’s theme of “Battling Giants” and a presentation
from motivational speaker David Crane on the ten rules of
success. The first day was topped off with a team building
exercise, where ten teams of five competed against each
other in friendly bowling matches.
On the second day, the event focused on training for the
C-levels of the OpCos, with sessions for the enhancement
of both personal and company growth. C-level members
also took part in strategy sessions, where they focused on
a number of collective challenges facing the companies
and the best ways to create opportunities.
The third and final day concluded with the CEO of each
OpCo taking the floor to summarize their achievements
and review their business plans (the initial presentation
of business plans took place on Day 1). The Group
PR executive provided another opportunity for team
members to receive media training.
Throughout the three days, there was abundant
opportunity for attendees to socialize and perform team-
building exercises. The strategy meeting wrapped up
with a well-attended closing dinner at the Meydan Hotel.
Guest speaker Harri Koponen, the former COO of Rovio
Entertainment Ltd., the creator of the famous Angry Birds
app, the current chairman of Tecnotree, and an adviser to
LAP GreenN, addressed the meeting’s theme of ‘Battling
Giants.’ He discussed how to focus on personal success in
the service of company achievements.
AGENDA: SEMI-ANNUAL
STRATEGY MEETING
AGENDA:
SEMI-ANNUAL
STRATEGY
MEETING
Charles Barbarin, a consultant from Sofrecom, was invited
to contribute to LAP GreenN’s winning battle strategies
against telecom giants, implemented by small operators
throughout Africa’s telecom market. Sofrecom is a
consultancy frim and an orange subsidiary with 47 years
of experience dedicated to assisting mobile and fixed
operators.
Beginning with the local context, Barbarin emphasized
that Africa is growing at an increasing rate, with 75%
mobile penetration last year. Nevertheless, there is a
large, untapped market in sub-Saharan Africa. Telecom
giants dominate the sub-Saharan market and are quite
dynamic, with an 11% growth in subscribers. This growth
is not experienced in terms of revenue (as is the case in
most other markets) but rather, is experienced through
multifaceted trends:
» Growing subscriptions does not necessarily mean
growing revenues. Mobile banking is becoming
essential in Africa, especially in locales where the
banking industry’s penetration is quite low. Mobile
banking requires a number of different partnerships
and therefore is not easy to implement, in terms of
offering or delivering services on the ground. There
are other breakthroughs, including micro-finance,
which create a whole set of new propositions that will
soon complement the basic offering.
» The growth of mobile broadband. There is a huge
demand for Internet access in Africa delivered by
mobile operators. However, there is a substantial
challenge in proposing local content to accompany
this growth.
» Operating mobile - Africa is truly showing the way
to the rest of the world with its low prices. It is more
difficult to be profitable in Africa, with the pressure
on operating margins. This is why more is happening
in Africa in regards to cost control and operational
efficiency. It is also the reason many regional
operators are implementing shared services with a
unique platform serving multiple countries. Operators
entering the market are developing specific strategies
to achieve very low cost. There are also numerous
operators selling their sites to tower companies, which
are becoming larger each year.
» Broadband from mobile operators operating on the
WiMax network are taking advantage of 4G to launch
and compete on the same ground as other operators.
Barbarin discussed two case studies.The first case involves
a government owned telecom operator that was launched
in 1998 and then decided to expand internationally. It
now has 63 million customers and a 20% annual growth
rate in revenues, with a total monopoly over the network
and low operating costs.
The telecom operator chose to capture the market by
expanding to rural parts of the country with no network
coverage. The challenge in this case is the cost to roll out
the network infrastructure.
In Barbarin’s second case study, the telecom company
applied two strategies to distinguish itself. The first
strategy was to focus on value proposition, specifically
with the launch of mobile broadband serving a specific
target segment. The second strategy was applied
through its operating model, with very low cost network
implementation and a cost effective staff.
These two case studies illustrate the multifaceted
approaches that telecom operators use to enhance
revenue growth and promote overall business success.
GIANTSTHE ART OF
BATTLING

To break the ice and energize the team, LAP GreenN
decided to kick off its 3-day semi-annual meeting with
life coach David Crane. Crane, a motivational speaker, is a
former BBC journalist based in the Middle East for over 20
years. He has worked in media in 127 different countries
and now works on a number of TV shows, amongst other
engagements.
Crane was invited to provide a motivational exercise to
energize the team. He began the exercise by explaining
that the ability to achieve goals is the result of many years
of experience, so it is very important to have goals and to
know how to reach them.
Crane advised individuals to focus on their strengths
in order to do well, feel good, and achieve results. He
explained that when a person focuses too much on their
weaknesses, they will only be able to achieve a limited
amount of success.
Crane then presented the 10 rules of success, using
videos, questions, and humor to engage the audience. He
shared the following guidelines, which are applicable to
both personal and professional situations:
10 RULES OF SUCCESS
Reframe the ‘New You’
by asking yourself better questions and changing
the way you process your thoughts. Constant
adaptation and improvement are essential to
success.
Your life is your responsibility
Nobody is responsible for your life except for you.
So take ownership of your life, examine it, and
change it for the better.
There are no failures
Failure is never permanent and learning from
failure is part of the journey to success.
There are no mistakes
Mistakes are never mistakes if you learn from them.
Learning from a mistake transforms the mistake
into an opportunity for success.
Your experiences are unique
All of our experiences are unique and shape
our own, subjective versions of reality. Your
experiences are not the same as everyone else’s
experiences; therefore, your reality is not the same
as the reality of anybody else. Keep this in mind
when interacting with others.
The worst experiences in your life can be the best
What matters is how you react to these experiences.
Bad experiences are challenges that can shape
you into a better person if you learn from them.
Being able to overcome the hardships caused by
your worst experiences propel you to success.
You are what you think
You are exactly what you think you are and your life
will reflect this. Think better of yourself and notice
immediate improvements in your life.
Life is a blessing
Always make the most out of your life. Your life is a
blessing that is not to be squandered.
You cannot change anybody else
Just as only you can change yourself, others can
only change themselves. Do not waste time trying
to change somebody else.
You get out what you put in
The output of any endeavor is equal to the effort
you put in to it. Exert more effort and enjoy
improved results.
Crane’s effective and engaging session received
positive feedback from the team. The session
revitalized the team and was a great way to kick off the
3 days.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
In an effort to share LAP GreenN’s growth story and
achievements, media coaching sessions were one of
the focuses of the event.
Ahmed Aduib, LAP GreenN Group PR Executive,
led the Media coaching sessions. The main purpose
of these sessions was to enhance the ability of
corporate executives to communicate confidently and
persuasively. The program’s focus was on delivery,
the use of key messages in storytelling, planning, and
preparing for interviews in all types of media formats.
In addition, the sessions focused on controlling the
interview, techniques to bridge key messages during
the interview, and handling difficult questions. At
the end of each session, individual interviews were
conducted with the participants, to practice what was
just learned.
MEDIA COACHING SESSIONS
GrantVernon,seniorTrainerfromtheTelecomAcademy,
Informa was invited to conduct a training sessions for
Senior Executives, focusing on Finance, Leadership &
Competitive Advantage as well as business simulation
and assessment. The business simulation concept was
team-based, intended to use the theory taught during
the training session to create a practical strategic plan to
apply in the OpCos. Grant said he was very happy with
the excellent teamwork and the results produced. The
teams came up with very strong ideas and interesting
innovations. He said that although he has worked with
many large telecoms across Africa and the Middle East,
he has never encountered the unique spirit of LAP
GreenN. He believes that the African telecom giants will
be truly tested for greatness if we maintain this spirit.
Members from each team were then awarded by Wafik
Shater for their participation at an award ceremony held
during the keynote dinner.
TRAINING SESSION

the new LAP GreenN management, Gemtel was able to
provide site maintenance despite crisis and focus on field
activities in selected areas to increase activation, while
continuously coordinating the security of staff across the
country. Gemtel continues to record significant successes,
in both financial and commercial performance. In South
Sudan today, the newest country in the world, Gemtel is a
quickly growing and a well-respected brand.
Highlights from GreenN CI
The CEO of GreenN CI Abdulghani Ramadan opened his
presentation with a brief overview of the company’s history.
GreenN CI emerged from the takeover of Oricel by LAP
GreenN in 2008, after a successful first year, GreenN CI
began to face numerous challenges. Ramadan reiterated
that regardless of these challenges, the team continues to
epitomize a positive, can-do attitude.
Ramadan then touched on a number of the dedicated
team and staff’s focus areas; primarily network, revenue,
and subscriber growth. He noted that GreenN CI is
insuring that money spent on marketing directly results
in revenue. The company has successfully secured an
increase in active subscriptions.
Ramadan expressed his gratitude to the Group, which has
provided guidance and knowledge to the local team and
help to create a business that will become the benchmark
in the local industry. He assured that with the support of
the Group and its colleagues in the other OpCos, GreenN
CI will give their competitors a run for their money.
Highlights from UTL
The CEO of UTL Ali Amir explained that 2013 was a
challenging year in Uganda, with a number of internal
changes and a highly competitive telecommunications
market. Yet the company was able to meet their set KPIs
for the first quarter, as the team and staff have been
working diligently to increase their subscribers and
provide better service. Mr. Amir and his management
team have instituted multiple changes spanning from
governance, key policies, and protocols, to cost reduction
and customer service improvements. Since then, large
strides were made in regards to several of the team’s key
achievements. For the first time in four years, UTL achieved
revenue projections and subscriber growth is at an all-
time high. In comparison to the results of the previous
three years, the business outlook for Uganda Telecom is
more positive now. Together with the support of the new
board and group, the management team aims to deliver
results that are underpinned with corporate governance
standards that maintain financial, legal and regulatory
compliance alongside integrity that all stakeholders can
be proud of. The company now has a restructured and
efficient workforce with clear targets and the motivation to
meet 2014’s challenges.
Highlights from Gemtel
Mohamed Ghadfi opened with an overview of the
challenges facing South Sudan, such as civil war and
fighting between major factions. Gemtel has had its fair
share of challenges but continues to be a strong operator
in the country. Historically, Gemtel was seen as a low
budget operator that held monopoly over the young
nation. Since then, a number of new competitors entered
the market with very aggressive launch strategies. Faced
with these challenges, Ghadfi initiated a revamping plan
that focused on network quality and coverage to reach all
ten states in remote areas of South Sudan. This enabled
customers to communicate with their loved ones during
difficult times. Ghadfi, along with his team, are focused on
expanding the business. Despite the challenges facing
South Sudan, they have implemented a new marketing
strategy and launched new services.
Gemtel has seen itself grow into one of the most trusted
telecom service providers in independent South Sudan,
withahighlyskilledteamdedicatedtoprovidingaffordable,
secure, and reliable telecom services. People are the key
factor in Gemtel’s operations, and the business has been
sustained even during difficult times. With the support of
H I G H T L I G H T S F R O M O P C O S

LAP GreenN hosted a closing ceremony on the final day
of the semiannual event. All staff, along with their spouses,
were invited to attend.
At the dinner held during the ceremony, Wafik Shater
welcomed guest speaker Harri Koponen, who gave the
keynote address. Koponen is the former COO of Rovio
Entertainment Ltd., the creator of the famous Angry Birds
app, and the current Chairman of Tecnotree. He has
held senior positions in other leading communication
companies, including Swedish Tele2 and National Mobile
Telecommunications Company K.S.C. (Wataniya Telecom).
Koponen opened his address by asserting that everyone
should have a dream or vision of his or her goals.When you
want something, you should focus on being the best, not
the second best. He recommended that goals be written
down on paper, to transform these goals from dreams
into reality. Alongside his emphasis on the importance
of individual goals, he also stressed the importance of
being a team player, noting that people like to work with
individuals who give credit to the team.
Koponen encouraged each OpCo to believe that they
will be #1 in their market, to have passion, dedicate
themselves to clients, and develop a strategy to tackle
the weaknesses of giant competitors. He highlighted the
importance of setting very high targets in order to push
boundaries. He also remarked that it is essential to keep
the team motivated and to apply lasting values, such as
transparency and integrity.
Koponen closed his speech by encouraging everyone to
smile more and exude positive energy.
After the keynote, LAP GreenN held an award ceremony
for staff performance during the training session held
the previous day. Wafik Shater and Amal Hussein, LAP
GreenN’s Human Resources Advisor, presented trophies
to the four winning teams. The teams were required to
prepare a presentation on a turnaround strategy to a
panel of judges.
The dinner ended with Wafik Shater thanking everyone
for their continued effort and expressing his anticipation
of reviewing their further success at the next semiannual
meeting
GUEST SPEAKER & CLOSING CEREMONY

HIGHLIGHTS FROM EVENT HIGHLIGHTS FROM TEAM BUILDING EXERCISE

Salem Etorki
Group Commercial Manager
It was, truly, one of the greatest events, the best
organized, most thorough and most focused
- practically focused – meeting that I proudly
attended, this meeting provided a tremendous
opportunity for all the group team to come
together in one place at one time, It was a great
opportunity to meet with all our brilliant colleagues,
share best practices, ideas and thoughts.
Didier Mahillion
Group Director Financial Planning & Analysis
Again, a great and productive event! Nothing
replaces face-to-face interaction.
The timing was also perfect for welcoming our new
CFOs in Uganda and the Ivory Coast, and hitting
the ground running.
The full day of training, with ideas to take back
to our workplace, was a fantastic addition. To be
repeated for sure.
Abdel Nouho
GreenN CI CFO
I have been very happy to be part of this exciting
meeting. The theme itself resonated very
strongly with everyone. Any achievement starts
with a dream. We have to believe that together,
everything is possible, and we have to be part of
this dream. The active involvement and enthusiasm
of the entire team has been a good indicator
throughout all these days.
Thanks to the group staff for the event’s flawless
organization.
Jeren Allaghi
PA to the Group CEO
As one of the organizers, I know that there is a lot
of hard work that goes into planning and setting up
these events. We are constantly trying to improve
for future events. It is great to hear that the overall
feedback has been positive. I hope everyone will
be leaving not only feeling that the event was very
valuable, but also feeling motivated and energized.
Ibrahim Ali
Tripoli Office manager
I participated in the first, second, and third
semiannual meetings. Each time, there was
progressively better organization and teamwork.
This is what makes me happy to work with LAP
GreenN and its team.
HAVE YOUR SAY

GREEN SHOOTS | SPECIAL EDITION PAGE 16
Editorial committee:
GreenN Shoots Special Edition is a semi-annual newsletter prepared by
Michelle Hirst, Ahmed Aduib and Hend Abdulwahed from LAP GreenN.
Editorial committee
GreenN Shoots Special Edition is a semi-
annual newsletter prepared by Michelle Hirst,
Ahmed Aduib and Hend Abdulwahed from
LAP GreenN.
For any inquiries or to send your feedbakc,
please contact: media@lap-green.com

GreenN Shoots Special Edition to Q2 2014

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to GreenN Shoots Special Edition to Q2 2014

Similar to GreenN Shoots Special Edition to Q2 2014 (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (6)

GreenN Shoots Special Edition to Q2 2014