Shai Amsalem, Cellcom’s CFO, announced that he does not intend to be appointed in place of Avi Gabay, who is retiring. Amsalem is about to end his term in any case and move to the Electra Group, so he gave up the idea. Golan Telecom, who also serves as the Group’s VP of Development, and Eli Addi, CEO of the Dynamics Network and VP of the company’s management and who is responsible for end equipment sales.
Avi Gabay resigns immediately due to his intention to compete for the acquisition of Partner together with a group of investors. This means that the company is required to appoint a deputy immediately and at the same time think about appointing a permanent CEO, with the trend not to appoint a search committee at the moment and leave the decision in the hands of the board of directors and controlling shareholders.
According to estimates, one of the issues facing the board that is due to convene this week in favor of the choice of deputy is the ability of the deputy to continue the positive trend in working relations with the works council. It is likely that the committee representative will also have something to say at the board meeting.
The contacts on Partner
There is currently no confirmation that the group that Avi Gabay and Shlomo Rodev are forming together with businessman Murray Arkin to acquire a partner is in the process of submitting an offer or even close to it. Shlomo Rodev, former chairman of Bezeq, and Avi Gabay have been in contact since they worked together at Bezeq.
It seems that both Gabay and Rodev see before their eyes the model of the Golan Telecom deal, that is, the formation of a group of investors together with financial entities that come to buy the company and improve it, and then sell it. Gil Sharon, who brought Electra Consumer and together with them bought Golan for NIS 350 million plus a loan they received from Cellcom to buy, and sold it in a relatively short time to Cellcom for NIS 560 million, serves as a model.