VICTORIA, Seychelles — Cable and Wireless Seychelles announced on Tuesday that Naadir Hassan will take over as the new Cable and Wireless CEO from February 2025, replacing George D’Offay, who retires on February 28, 2025, after a long tenure leading the islands’ principal telecommunications operator. The incoming chief executive brings extensive experience in finance, banking and risk management to a company that is simultaneously an infrastructure provider, a mobile operator and a retail brand across the archipelago.
For ordinary customers the leadership change matters because the next Cable and Wireless CEO will decide how the company balances investment in fibre roll-out, submarine cable resilience and customer service against a tariff environment already shaped by competition. Shareholders, regulators and the government, which holds a strategic stake in the operator, will look to the incoming chief executive to defend margins while pushing broadband into outer islands and affordable data plans for households still reliant on prepaid mobile. Small businesses that depend on reliable connectivity for booking engines, point-of-sale and remote work will be watching the early signals of the new Cable and Wireless CEO particularly closely.
According to the company, Hassan was selected after a competitive search and is expected to work alongside D’Offay through February to ensure a clean transition. The outgoing Cable and Wireless CEO retires after steering the operator through a period that included the construction of a new head office, network upgrades to 4G and 5G readiness, and the renegotiation of interconnection arrangements with rival providers. Hassan’s finance and risk background suggests the board is prioritising capital discipline, regulatory navigation and balance-sheet strength over the marketing-led profile of recent chief executives. A short handover period is intended to keep continuity of customer service and major projects.
Cable and Wireless has occupied a central place in the Seychellois economy since liberalisation, sitting at the intersection of consumer communications, business connectivity and undersea cable access. The company’s fortunes are read by analysts as a proxy for confidence in the wider services sector, particularly tourism-linked bookings and the financial industry that depends on reliable international bandwidth. The change of Cable and Wireless CEO therefore arrives at a moment when the operator is preparing to host the demands of a digitising public sector, including the Integrated Financial Management Information System now under contract with government, and a national conversation about data protection and cyber resilience that has been gaining pace in Victoria.
What happens next is straightforward but consequential. Hassan must assemble a leadership team, present a refreshed strategy to the board and signal his stance on tariffs, dividend policy and the long-running question of a potential listing or partnership arrangement. Industry observers will watch closely for early signs of whether the new Cable and Wireless CEO leans towards consolidation at home, regional expansion abroad, or a sharper focus on enterprise and government contracts. Employees, who have weathered two restructurings in the past decade, will be looking for stability and a credible internal promotion pipeline.
D’Offay is expected to be farewelled at a company event before his February 28 retirement, and the board has signalled that a formal handover statement will be issued in the new year. Regulatory filings with the Seychelles International Business Authority and the central bank are expected to be updated in the first quarter.
The Seychelles telecommunications market hands the keys of its largest operator to a banker on the first day of March.
📷 Image source: Cable & Wireless Seychelles — cws.sc
