MTN appoints new CIO

MTN has appointed Benjamin Marais as its new Chief Information Officer, effective 1 March 2016. Marais joins MTN from Discovery Health, where he served in a similar role.

Marais has a wealth of experience in the banking, health and digital space. A qualified engineer with a BEng, Electronic Engineering qualification from the University of Pretoria, Marais has extensive global experience, having worked across the continent, in the United Kingdom and in the Middle East.

Mteto Nyati, Chief Executive Officer of MTN South Africa, says Marais brings a wealth of experience to MTN that will ensure the company introduces cutting-edge systems that will significantly enhance the customer experience.

"As we venture into delivering on our strategy of being truly customer-centric, we need to tap into the wealth of skills that may be found outside of the telecommunications sector. There are organisations that have successfully gone through the same transformation, hence it is important to get best practice by tapping into those skills in order to set ourselves apart," says Nyati.

He adds the appointment of Marais is part of a strategy of attracting and retaining the best talent in the market, so MTN can successfully implement its vision of bringing a bold, new digital world to its customers.

Says Nyati: "Communication has grown to become increasingly complex, and therefore it is critical that the systems we have in place meet the challenges of the modern day era. It is therefore pivotal that we take a proactive approach to integrating our systems, while ensuring that our processes are simplified and not burdensome for the end-user."

Marais says he is happy to take on this new challenge, and expressed his willingness to make a positive contribution in his new role.

"I am proud to be part of this dynamic company that is using its technology to change lives across its footprint in Africa and the Middle East. I am confident that with the team that I have in place and the support of the board, we can use the transformative power of technology to considerably improve the way our customers interact with the MTN brand."