Sri Lanka Telecom’s newest, major shareholder Global Telecommunications Holdings (GTH), a sister company of Maxis, Malaysia, is to get a top management position in SLT soon. Informed sources told The Sunday Times FT a senior official of GTH is due in the Island in coming weeks to assume duties as the head of all Chief Officers of SLT numbering eleven.

GTH is making every effort to take over management control of SLT strongly insisting that they should be given the CEO’s post. The government, the majority stakeholder, has offered the posts of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Finance Officer to GTH but declined to part with the CEO’s post. The GTH representative will be appointed to a key position equivalent to the post of CEO but without decision-making powers, informed sources said.

A senior official of SLT, who wished to remain anonymous, said this matter is expected to be sorted out soon after the finalization of the new shareholders agreement between GTH and the government. In the meantime a 6-member team from British Telecom is continuing its study of SLT with a view to transform the company into a Global Internet Protocol (IP) solution provider.