MTN Group has announced major changes to its top executives’ roles after evaluating its Ambition 2025 strategy and its execution.
Among the changes announced on Monday with the view to enhancing growth and returns in SA, Ferdi Moolman, the current group chief risk officer, will succeed Charles Molapisi as CEO and executive director of MTN SA.
Yolanda Cuba, currently vice-president for Southern and East Africa, will step down from the group executive committee to become deputy CEO and executive director of MTN SA.
“Both Ferdi and Yolanda bring extensive group-wide experience and will collaborate to accelerate growth and maximise returns in MTN SA,” the group said.
Moolman previously held several senior roles within the group, including CEO of MTN Nigeria from 2016 to 2021.
The group plans to decouple the group chief technology and information officer (GCTIO) and digital infrastructure roles. Mazen Mroué, currently GCTIO and CEO of digital infrastructure, will prioritise accelerating efforts in expanding the group’s fibre and data centre businesses across Africa. As additional focus areas, Mroué will work strategically with the towerco partners, as well as lead network sharing opportunities across operations to drive efficiencies.
As the digital infrastructure platform continues to evolve, Mroué will lead the group’s partnerships with non-terrestrial networks such as low-earth-orbit satellite operators.
Charles Molapisi has a strong background in network and IT and will remain on the group executive committee, taking up his previous role as GCTIO. He will have additional responsibilities and focus on speeding up AI use case adoption and infusion across the business.
These changes will accelerate AI adoption across MTN’s operations, it said.
Tsholofelo Molefe, the group CFO, will have her responsibilities expanded to incorporate the mergers and acquisitions portfolio. Kholekile Ndamase, currently chief M&A and business development officer, will step down from the group executive committee and have a new reporting line to Molefe in her role as the steward for the capital allocation framework and its implementation at the group level.
The group said to streamline its markets structure for greater efficiency and growth, it was simplifying the structure and operating model of the markets portfolio, to ensure that it was better positioned as it drove the growth of connectivity operations.
“We have made good progress in the optimisation of our portfolio, including the exits from the Middle East and some African markets,” it said.
Ismail Jaroudi, currently vice-president of Middle East and North Africa, will step down from the group executive committee and assume the role of VP of special projects in the office of the group president and CEO, focused on portfolio optimisation initiatives. He will also continue his role as CEO of MTN Dubai.
Ebenezer Asante, currently the senior VP of markets, will focus on accelerating the growth and the contributions of the operations in Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, South Sudan, Sudan, Liberia and the joint ventures in Eswatini and Botswana. He will take on this revised role as the VP of Ghana, Southern and East Africa.
In addition to his responsibilities as CEO of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola will take on additional responsibilities as VP of francophone Africa, with a focus on growing the market shares of operations in these markets, which encompass Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Benin and Congo-Brazzaville. He will assume this revised role as CEO of MTN Nigeria and VP of francophone Africa, given his prior extensive experience in the role.
The changes, which take effect from November 1, come as the group is streamlining its focus into three principal platforms — connectivity, fintech and digital infrastructure.
“This three-platform approach will best position the group to capture value from the structural growth opportunities brought about by data adoption and financial inclusion across Africa,” it said.
“Within the connectivity platform, we see opportunities in winning the home, as well as simplifying and consolidating our digital offerings to accelerate their growth. In Fintech, we are leveraging our solid foundation to transform the business into a scaled, digital-first platform,” it said.
“We are enhancing our positioning in the digital infrastructure business to better enable the exponential growth in digital workloads, as well as infusing AI across the business for value creation.”
As part of efforts to consolidate commercial and strategy structure, Selorm Adadevoh, currently the group chief commercial office, will take on expanded responsibilities to include strategy and transformation.
Chika Ekeji, the current chief strategy and transformation officer, will step down from the group executive committee to focus on accelerating the growth of some of the emerging businesses aligned to the platform strategy.
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