PTCL Group appoints foreign CEO to replace Rashid Khan
The recent resignation of Rashid Khan as CEO and President of PTCL Group (PTCL & Ufone) put the company’s Board of Directors in some kind of jeopardy. The difficulty, which the directors somehow solved to their advantage, was obviously to select a competent, experienced, and forward-looking CEO. The Board of Directors on behalf of the company handpicked Matthew Willsher, a foreigner, as the new CEO of PTCL.
The choice of Matthew Willsher comes as a complete surprise. There is no denying the fact that he is one of the most experienced individuals in the telecom industry. His 25 years’ experience might come in handy for the PTCL Group. But the question arises from the fact that he is not a Pakistani. A foreign national in such an important position does not make much sense.
Pakistan is not Nigeria, Afghanistan, or any other third world country. The country has people qualified and professional enough to work on positions as significant as CEO PTCL Group. This unhealthy exercise of importing talent from abroad has resulted in brain-drain at a massive scale. People who are qualified and professional look to settle in Canada, the USA, or the UK since their talent and abilities are not valued in their own home country.
Doctors, engineers, software engineers, Chartered Accountants, even skilled labor prefer to seek employment outside of Pakistan due to wanting opportunities coupled with favoritism and lack of merit. The practice of casting aside local talent has been applied in almost every field. We have seen it in cricket as well when foreign coaches were hired by PCB neglecting the country legends.
Matthew Willsher will assume the role of CEO PTCL Group, effective 1st December 2020. He has served as CEO of Etisalat in Afghanistan and Nigeria. He was also CXO for Etisalat UAE while serving in different positions in Malaysia, and Hong Kong. Matthew, starting his career in the marketing department of Procter & Gamble, gained valuable experience of working in countries like Australia, Holland, the UK, and South Korea.
