Malaysian incumbent Telekom Malaysia (TM) said its chief technology and innovation officer (CTIO), Giorgio Migliarina, is leaving the company, with effect from February 18.
The company’s deputy CTIO and chief customer experience officer Dato’ Rafaai Samsi will take over Migliarina’s role, TM said in a statement.
Migliarina joined TM in May 2009, just a few months after the signing of the public-private partnership agreement with the government to roll out the High Speed Broadband (HSBB) project.
During his tenure, he oversaw the transformation of TM’s IT and network technology (NT) division and infrastructure through a series of catalysts, from the HSBB project to the “Towards Operational Perfection” (TOP) improvement programs, from the sunset of legacy platforms (such as PSTN) to the simplification of the network architecture.
He also launched new initiatives in innovation and this saw TM emerging as an established presence not just in Malaysia but also in innovation hotbeds like Silicon Valley.
In addition to his role as CTIO, Migliarina was also assigned to initiate the consolidation transformation of TM’s B2B lines of business comprising its key business units - TM Government, TM Enterprise and VADS Berhad - as chairman of managed accounts cluster from 2013 to 2016.
Commenting on the appointment of the new CTIO, Zamzamzairani said Rafaai had risen within the organization to various influential and pivotal roles.
“We believe Rafaai is the natural choice to lead IT&NT in this exciting phase,” the executive said, adding that the group would support him in pushing IT&NT to greater heights, at the convergence of network and IT, fixed and mobile, delivery and operations.
Rafaai started his career in telecommunications with the then Jabatan Telekom Malaysia in 1978. He was later appointed CEO of Telekom - NTT Communications’ JV company in July 1997 before returning to Telekom in July 2001, where he was assigned as general manager of a number of divisions including state business operations, market development and domestic carrier business.
He was then appointed vice president, marketing and sales for the wholesale segment in October 2006 and subsequently promoted to executive vice president to lead the wholesale line of business on July 1, 2008.
Rafaai was assigned as deputy CTIO to run the day-to-day operations and turn-around initiatives of the IT and network technology division since January 2013.He was assigned as head of customer experience management and transformation on July 1, 2014 and at the same time remained as the deputy CTIO.