Newly appointed Cell C CEO Alan Knott-Craig, who joins the mobile operator on 1 April when his restraints of trade with his former employer, Vodacom, come to an end, says he is “fit and healthy” and is “looking forward” to being back in the telecommunications industry.

Knott-Craig has suffered from health problems in the past — he has suffered at least two heart attacks — but said on Thursday he is in good health.

Speaking at a press conference following his appointment, Knott-Craig said that after a three-and-a-half year break he is ready to take on a new challenge.

However, because he is still under a restraint from Vodacom, he says he hasn’t yet had an opportunity to consider the strategic and competitive opportunities and challenges facing Cell C.

He added it’s too early to know if he will continue the strategy of his Cell C predecessor, Lars Reichelt. “I don’t know in detail what Lars’s strategy was,” he says.

“What I do know is he has done a big network build [and] that’s the most critical part of what we do going forward. We can’t be competitive without a [network] that complies with the newest [technology].”

Cell C chairman Simon Duffy says Knott-Craig’s appointment follows a six-month search domestically and internationally. — Duncan McLeod, TechCentral