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MTN Group today announced significant changes to the Group Board and the establishment of an International Advisory Board (IAB). The MTN Group Board is of the view that MTN has entered a more stable and settled period which enables it to now effect an evolution of the Board following recent challenging regulatory environments and competitive trading conditions.

MTN Group wishes to announce the following changes to the Board over the next 12 months:

  1. The Chairman of MTN Group, Phuthuma Nhleko, who was anticipated to step down from his position at the AGM to be held on 23 May 2019, will step down from the Board on 15 December 2019 after overseeing an orderly transition of the Board including the establishment of the International Advisory Board.
  2. Mcebisi Jonas has been appointed Chairman-designate and will assume the position of Chairman of MTN Group effective 15 December 2019.
  3. Dr. Khotso Mokhele will assume the responsibilities of Lead Independent Director with effect from 15 December 2019.
  4. Further, Alan Harper, Jeff Van Rooyen and Koosum Kaylan will step down from the Board on 15 Dec 2019 after an orderly transition and handover to incoming directors.
  5. Peter Mageza and Dawn Marole will step down from the Board effective 30 April 2020.

Further to the above, we are pleased to welcome onto the Board His Royal Highness Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and Vincent Rague with effect from 1 July 2019.

His Royal Highness Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is a Nigerian national, the Emir of Kano and a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Vincent Rague is a Kenyan national who worked for the International Finance Corporation for 24 years in a number of senior positions.

We are confident that the incoming directors will bring a wealth of experience, diversity of skills and regional experience to the Board.

Establishment of an International Advisory Board

The Board has resolved to establish an international advisory board (IAB) of prominent persons of considerable and wide-ranging experience. The primary purpose of the IAB will be to counsel, guide and support the MTN Group from time to time in fulfilling its vision and objective of being one of the premier African corporations with a global footprint in telecommunications, contributing to increased digital inclusion in Africa and the Middle East, a pivotal aspect of the fourth industrial revolution.

Whilst the IAB will be non-statutory in nature and not have any fiduciary responsibility, it will make an important contribution and play a highly valued role in ensuring that the Board is guided and assisted in achieving the company’s vision in a technically complex world with uncertain and shifting geopolitical interests. The IAB will commence on 1 July 2019.

The IAB will be chaired by His Excellency former President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr. Thabo Mbeki and will be constituted of the following persons:

MTN Group Chairman, Phuthuma Nhleko commented, “MTN Group highly appreciates and thanks the MTN Group directors who will be stepping down after many years of valued service to the Group. We are confident that the incoming directors of the Board will bring a depth of skills and regional insights that will continue to enrich the experience of the board.

We are most privileged and honoured to have His Excellency former President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr. Thabo Mbeki, agree to Chair the IAB and are grateful to all the distinguished persons of the IAB who have agreed to give of their valuable time to contribute to the development of telecommunications and connectivity in Africa and the Middle East.”

– Issued by MTN Group Corporate Affairs

MTN Irancell, an associate company of MTN Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Bijan Abbasi Arand as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Dr. Abbasi holds a Post-Doctoral degree in Communication from Tarbiat Modares University where he is currently an assistant professor. He is one of the leading telecommunications experts in Iran and brings decades of experience in both the academic and commercial sectors.

He replaces Mr. Alireza Ghalambor Dezfouli who will take a well-deserved retirement having served as the CEO of MTN Irancell since its inception in 2005. Mr. Dezfouli has played an integral role in building Irancell into a major business serving more than 40 million customers and becoming the largest data operator in Iran.

MTN Group thanks Mr. Dezfouli for his years of service and congratulates Dr Abbasi on his new role.

– Issued by MTN Group Corporate Affairs

 

About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN”. As of 30 September 2018, MTN recorded 225,4 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Eswatini, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia.

MTN Group’s newly acquired music streaming entity, Simfy Africa, has been given a welcome boost with the appointment of Oyebowale Akideinde as Head of Over the Top (OTT) Music Services. His appointment, effective 1 February 2019, will enhance the company’s digital music streaming services to its customers across Africa and the Middle East.

Oyebowale joins MTN from Boomplay Music where he served as the Regional Director for West Africa. His career spans over 17 years primarily in consumer goods, e-business, financial, media and digital sectors. He has also worked in IT, project management, strategy, product and business development, and marketing.

He holds an MSc in Business Information Systems from the University of Hertfordshire, a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Lagos and a General Music Studies Specialist certificate from Berklee College of Music. Oyebowale has also garnered a number of industry related awards and accolades throughout his career.

Commenting on Oyebowale’s appointment, Rob Shuter, MTN Group President and CEO said, “We are very pleased about Oye’s appointment as he brings passion and knowledge of the rich media industry, this will stand him in good stead to support MTN’s expansion of OTT digital services to our customers.”

About Simfy

MTN acquired Simfy, dubbed as Africa’s leading music-streaming business, in November 2018. It boasts a broad catalogue of music and access to more than 42 million tracks; the entity has also partnered with record labels and content distribution platforms such as Warner Music, Universal Music Group and Content Connect Africa to bring subscribers a wide range of music. Shortly after the acquisition of Simfy, MTN launched MusicTime! in South Africa, a service which offers users premium trending and locally relevant music.

Johannesburg – MTN Group is pleased to announce several new executive appointments, including the position of Chief Technology & Information Officer and Executive for Corporate Services & Sustainability.

Charles Molapisi has been appointed as the company’s Group Chief Technology and Information Officer, effective 1 January 2019. His appointment follows Babak Fouladi’s resignation from the company to take up another opportunity in Europe.

Charles is a seasoned professional, with more than 16 years of experience in both fixed and mobile telephony. He worked for Telkom and Liberty Life prior to joining MTN, and held various senior management positions in MTN Nigeria, including that of Chief Information Officer (CIO). His current role is that of CEO of MTN Zambia where his championing of a pro-customer positioning resulted in the company leading all competitors in customer experience metrics.

He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Leadership from the University of South Africa, a post-graduate Diploma in Business Management from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of the Witwatersrand. Additionally, he has completed courses on strategy and talent with Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School and the Institute for Management Development in Switzerland.

In light of Charles’s move to MTN Group, former MTN Cyprus CEO, Philip van Dalsen, has been appointed MTN Zambia CEO. Philip will also take up his new role on 1 January 2019.

Nikos Angelopoulos recently joined MTN as Group CIO, accountable for Information Technology Design and Delivery. In his role, he is responsible for managing and maintaining the standard IT architecture across the Group, and, in line with the strategy, ensure that the company leads innovation and customer experience.

Nikos has 25 years of experience in management consulting and working for telecommunications service providers. He started his career with Accenture in the UK where he spent 15 years helping clients in different industries to start their digital journeys. His first engagements were in the financial services industry where he worked on the digital transformation of the London Stock Exchange. He later moved to telecommunications, working with cable operators and telcos in Europe, Asia and the United States focussing on launching digital television platforms and services. After Accenture, Nikos joined Vodafone where he held various senior management positions including CIO for Vodafone Italy and South Europe region and member of the Group IT Board. He joins MTN from UAE’s Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company where he was the Executive Vice President for IT & Product Engineering.

Nikos holds a BSc in Physics from the University of Athens and MSc in Digital Communications and Signal Processing from Imperial College, University of London. He also has an Executive MBA from London Business School.

David Gilarranz has been appointed as the CEO for MTN Digital. He is a seasoned leader with more than 28 years of experience in telecommunications and digital services. David spent his early career in companies such as Verizon and Convergys, in strategic planning and sales management, and later co-founded the company Cyclelogic, one of America’s early movers in the texting and mobile internet services space. David joined MTN from Millicom where he was the VP: Digital and Innovation. The recent Simfy acquisition will report directly to David as part of his portfolio.

David has completed an executive leadership programme with Stanford University Graduate School of Business, USA, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management from Universidad Metropolitana (Metropolitan University) in Venezuela.

Motselisi Molapo, the new executive for Group Internal Audi and Forensics will join MTN on 14 January 2019 from Liberty Holdings, where she was the Chief Audit Executive reporting to the Audit Committee. Prior to this, she held senior roles at AngloGold Ashanti and PwC. She has more than 18 years of experience in the audit environment across multiple industries, having worked in South Africa and the USA.

Motselisi is a Chartered Accountant and has a Bachelor of Commerce Honours Degree from the University of Natal and a Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting and Commercial Law Degree from Rhodes University. As Executive for Internal Audit and Forensics, Motselisi will be responsible for delivering independent third line assurance to the MTN Group Executives and Board, focussing on the adequacy and effectiveness of the MTN Group’s governance, risk management and system of internal control.

Nompilo Morafo has been appointed as Executive for Group Corporate Services and Sustainability, effective 1 February 2019. Nompilo joins MTN from LafargeHolcim, where she was the Country Director for Communications and Public Affairs. Prior to joining LafargeHolcim, she held the role of Vice President for Country Management and Public Affairs for Sasol’s International Exploration and Production. As the Executive for Corporate Services and Sustainability, Nompilo will be responsible for managing MTN’s reputation in the marketplace, through the coordination of the corporate communication, public affairs, sustainability, events and sponsorship, and Corporate Social Investment (CSI) functions across the company’s footprint.

She holds a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) Degree in Business Communication from Tshwane University of Technology, a National Diploma in Business Communication from Pretoria Technikon and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from Henley Business School.

Commenting on the appointments, MTN Group President and CEO, Rob Shuter said, “Charles, Nikos, David, Motselisi and Nompilo bring valuable skills and experience to their new roles, which will stand them in good stead to lead their respective business units and support the delivery of our BRIGHT strategy.”

– Issued by MTN Group Regulatory and Corporate Affairs