Attila Vitai, the CEO of consumer, mobile and small business at Telkom, quietly left the telecommunications operator at the end of March to return to the UK. He will be replaced in the role by former MTN South Africa chief marketing officer Serame Taukobong.

Telkom Group CEO Sipho Maseko revealed that Vitai had retired and that Taukobong, who joins Telkom on 1 June, would replace him.

While at Telkom, Vitai has led the rapid growth of the consumer mobile operation, including overseeing the launch of the popular data-led FreeMe plans, and has also overhauled the operator’s consumer fixed-line broadband offerings with a focus on uncapped Internet access.

Taukobong joins Telkom from General Electric’s Africa operation, where he worked as vice-president overseeing commercial activities. His career has included senior positions at Unilever, South African Breweries, M-Net and MTN, where he worked as both chief marketing officer in the South African operation and as CEO of the group’s Ghanaian subsidiary.