Robi Axiata named Rajeev Sethi (pictured) to lead the Bangladesh-based operator, replacing Riyaaz Rasheed who served as acting CEO since August 2021.

Sethi was previously CEO of Ooredoo Myanmar. He also counts spells as CCO of Airtel Africa and CEO of Telenor subsidiary Grameenphone in Bangladesh among his previous roles.

Robi stated the appointment will allow Rasheed to focus on his role as CFO.

“As the company prepares to celebrate its 25th year of operation, Rajeev’s leadership will certainly generate fresh momentum for Robi’s competitive strides in the Bangladesh market,” Axiata Group acting CEOs Hans Wijayasuriya and Vivek Sood stated.

Wijayasuriya highlighted Rasheed’s accomplishments despite a challenging macro-economic environment. “He leaves in Rajeev’s hands an organisation well positioned for the next wave of growth.”

GSMA Intelligence figures showed Robi ended September with 54.8 million mobile connections, placing it second behind Grameenphone on 85.6 million.