MTN SA makes five executive appointments to bolster operational efficiency

MTN has strengthened its executive team even further by appointing five new members in a bid to enhance operational efficiency across the operation and provide more in-depth commercial skills and experience.

Marco Gagiano: Executive for Customer Value Management

Effective immediately, Marco Gagiano will assume the role of Executive for Customer Value Management. Gagiano joins MTN SA from MTN Group, where he was General Manager of Business Services and Operations in the SEA (Southern and East Africa) region's Vice-President's office. In that role, he was responsible for commercial and operational support to all the SEA markets.

Before he joined MTN Group, Gagiano served as Director of Customer Value Management at Business Logic Systems (UK), where he was responsible for management of customer value management infrastructure and consulting teams of various international mobile operator groups. Prior to Business Logic Systems, he held management roles in business intelligence, customer value management and commercial operations in various Vodacom and Vodafone Group operations over the past 17 years. He holds a PhD from Stellenbosch University and a Master of Business Administration from Henley Business School in the UK.

Says Gagiano: "I am excited to be part of a company that has blazed a trail across the continent and beyond, and I am looking forward to using the experience I have gleaned over the years to help MTN to achieve its strategic objectives. Customer-centricity has been identified as the key differentiator that will set MTN apart. I am delighted to be part of a team that will overhaul and transform customer experience."

Nico Eskes: Head of Business Process Transformation

MTN SA also announced the appointment of Nico Eskes as the Head of Business Process Transformation position. The appointment is effective immediately. In his new role, Eskes will be responsible for managing the transformation of MTN SA's business processes and associated technology implementation and billing capabilities. A chartered accountant with over 20 years' experience in the telecommunications industry, Eskes brings to his new role extensive experience in programme and product implementations, commercial and financial management, including pricing and distribution management.

Prior to joining MTN, Eskes was the Head of Products & Services for Vodafone Netherlands. He also served in other leadership positions at Vodafone Netherlands, including Head of Finance Operations, Head of Planning & Control and Head of Commercial Management Consumer Business.

"The importance of having the right systems cannot be overestimated. The attractive propositions we offer to our customers should be supported by robust CRM and billing capabilities, creating a 360-degree view of our customers. I am looking forward to working with my team to strengthen the demand-and-delivery process and addressing process performance gaps," says Eskes.

Philip Besimiire: Executive for Regional Operations

Philip Besimiire, a former CEO of MTN Sudan, has been appointed as Executive for Regional Operations, effective 1 June 2017. In this role, Besimiire will be responsible for regional operations and looking after MTN's commercial business and support services in the regions.

Prior to assuming his new role, Besimiire served as CEO of MTN Sudan since February 2013. He joined MTN Sudan from MTN Zambia, where he was the Chief Marketing Officer. He joined MTN Group as a Public Relations Officer in 2001, before he was deployed to MTN Swaziland where he was responsible for implementing the marketing strategy. He has over 16 years' experience in the telecoms industry. Besimiire holds a Bachelor's Degree in Social Sciences from the Makerere University in Uganda and a Master's in Business Administration from the Business School of Netherlands.

Mapula Bodibe: Executive for Consumer Business Unit

Mapula Bodibe will assume the position of Executive for Consumer Business Unit, effective 1 June 2017. Bodibe is no stranger to MTN SA as she previously served in a number of roles at MTN SA over a period of 10 years, most notably General Manager for Consumer Marketing, where she was responsible for managing the Consumer Strategy. She rejoins MTN SA from MTN Uganda, where she served as the Chief Marketing Officer responsible for driving top-line growth for the business through the implementation of effective and innovative marketing strategies.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Economics, a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing and a Master's in Business Administration from the University of South Africa.

"For me this is not a homecoming, but symbolises my professional life at MTN coming full circle. Having cut my teeth in Consumer Segment, where I was responsible for the end-to-end Consumer Value proposition. I have also had the privilege to work on numerous areas of the business, including products and services, pricing, customer analytics as well as driving the go-to-market strategy. I am excited about taking up this role and putting our customers at the heart of everything that we do," says Bodibe.

Nico Jacobs: Executive for Sales and Distribution

Nico Jacobs has been appointed to the role of Executive for Sales and Distribution, effective 1 July 2017. This appointment is in line with the defined operation model at MTN SA that separates Marketing and Sales and Distribution.

Currently the Chief Operations Officer of McDonald's South Africa, Jacobs has also served in senior executive positions at ABSA, EDCON, Standard Bank and The Foschini Group. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Cape Town.

Says Enzo Scarcella, Chief Operations Officer: MTN SA: "We are pleased and emboldened by the calibre of people we are bringing on board to bolster our management team. These appointments give credence to the veracity of our succession planning. Our new operations management line-up will ensure that MTN has the operations executive team in place to deliver on profitable growth expected in accordance with our five key strategic themes. The strengthened management team will enhance our competitive position and bode well for our ability to achieve our strategic objectives."