Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) has appointed Önder Sönmez as Country Senior Officer for Turkey and Azerbaijan, effective immediately. He will also become the chairman of the board of Alcatel-Lucent Turkey.

In his new role Önder Sönmez will assume overall responsibility for managing day-to-day operations as well as strategic business direction in Turkey and Azerbaijan. Based in Istanbul, Mr. Sönmez will report to Amr K. El-Leithy, president of Alcatel-Lucent's activities in the Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Azerbaijan.

Commenting on Mr. Sönmez's appointment, Mr. El-Leithy said: "I'm very pleased to welcome Önder in his new position at Alcatel-Lucent. His in-depth knowledge of the industry, as well as extensive experience in sales and operations, will reinforce the company's business and presence in Turkey and Azerbaijan to meet the needs and requirements of our customers with best-in-class solutions and services".

Önder Sönmez comes with over 20 years of experience in IT in sales and operations. Prior to joining Alcatel-Lucent, Önder held various management positions in diffrent companies such as Digital Equipment Canada, Compaq Canada, Microsoft in Turkey, EMC Turkey.

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