Now that MTN has confirmed what was long suspected, that group CEO Phuthuma Nhleko is leaving for pastures new, talk is already turning to who might replace him in the hot seat at Africa’s largest mobile operator.
Though the board is likely to look both internally and externally for a successor, there are several top executives at the company who could step into Nhleko’s shoes.
The most obvious internal candidate is the group’s chief operating officer and Nhleko’s right-hand man, Sifiso Dabengwa.
Dabengwa joined MTN in 2001 from Eskom and spent two years heading up the group’s key Nigerian operation from 2004 to 2006 before landing the group operations job.
Dabengwa, who has an MBA from Wits and bachelor of engineering from the University of Zimbabwe, has worked closely with Nhleko over the past four years, keeping a tight rein of the group’s operations while Nhleko has focused on deal making.
Then there’s Tim Lowry, who heads the South and East Africa region for the group. Lowry, who was also formerly head of MTN SA, has 30 years of experience in global telecommunications, having worked at senior management level at Orange and France Telecom.
He also worked at Cable & Wireless and was involved in the negotiations that resulted in MTN receiving its operating licence in SA in 1993.
Another potential candidate is Karel Pienaar, who took over from Lowry at the SA operation. Pienaar, who has been at MTN since it started, has intimate knowledge of the group.
Before taking over at MTN SA, he was the group’s chief technology officer. He was also instrumental in setting up the Nigerian operation, which he headed for the first year of its life.
However, Pienaar has his hands full with the troubled SA business — serious problems with the company’s billing systems are costing it market share — and the board may decide that he’s best left there to fix the mess.
Another potential candidate, who has impressive credentials, is French national Christian de Faria, who heads MTN’s West and Central African region. In that role, he oversees MTN’s biggest market, Nigeria.
De Faria, who joined MTN in June 2006, was previously CEO of PT Excelcomindo Pratama, one of the largest mobile operators in Indonesia. Before that he was CEO of Telekom Malaysia International where he was responsible for international strategy. He oversaw Telekom Malaysia’s investments in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Cambodia.
His experience in South Asia could stand MTN in good stead for the top job as the group seeks new opportunities for growth. — Duncan McLeod, TechCentral
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