Kuwait-based operator group Zain has appointed the former boss of domestic rival Wataniya as its new chief executive.

Effective today, Scott Gegenheimer replaces Nabeel Bin Salamah, who announced in October that he would not be renewing his contract. Gegenheimer – a US expat – stepped down as CEO of Qtel’s Kuwaiti unit Wataniya Telecom six months ago after three and a half years in the job.

As well as his decade “in various senior management and leadership positions at regional operators,” Zain said that its new CEO had also spend time working at Cisco and Motorola.

“He is no stranger to Kuwait and the region, and we believe it shall take very little time for him to become familiar with the Zain culture and start having a material impact on the company’s operations,” said Zain Group Chairman Asaad Al Banwan.

Zain is the market leader in Kuwait on 2.2 million connections in Q3, ahead of second-placed Wataniya (2 million).

The group has 41.3 million subscribers across the Middle East and Africa.