MTN hires new group CTO, other top executives

Following the resignation of Babak Fouladi, MTN Group has appointed Charles Molapisi as its new chief technology and information officer, effecting 1 January 2019. Fouladi is leaving to take up an opportunity in Europe.

Molapisi has 16 years of experience in both fixed and mobile telecommunications. He previously worked at Telkom and Liberty Life and more recently has held senior management positions at MTN Nigeria, including as chief information officer. He is currently CEO of MTN Zambia.

Former MTN Cyprus CEO Philip van Dalsen has been appointed as MTN Zambia CEO with effect from 1 January.

Molapisi holds a master’s degree in business leadership from Unisa as well as a postgraduate diploma in business management from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a bachelor of commerce degree from Wits University.

At the same time, MTN said Nikos Angelopoulos recently joined as its group CIO, accountable for IT design and delivery. In this role, he is responsible for managing and maintaining the standard IT architecture across the group and ensuring that the company leads innovation and customer experience.

A former Vodafone Group executive, Angelopoulos joined MTN from the UAE’s Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company, where he was the executive vice president for IT and product engineering. He holds a BSc in physics from the University of Athens and an MSc in digital communications and signal processing from Imperial College, University of London. He also has an executive MBA from London Business School.

MTN Digital CEO

David Gilarranz, meanwhile, has been appointed as the CEO of MTN Digital. Gilarranz spent his early career in companies such as Verizon and Convergys, in strategic planning and sales management, and later co-founded the company Cyclelogic, one of America’s early movers in the texting and mobile Internet services space. He joins MTN from Millicom, where he was the vice president for digital and innovation. The recent Simfy acquisition will report directly to Gilarranz as part of his portfolio, MTN said.

Other new appointments include:

• Motselisi Molapo, the new executive for group internal audit and forensics. Molapo will join MTN on 14 January 2019 from Liberty Holdings, where she was the chief audit executive reporting to the audit committee. Prior to this, she held senior roles at AngloGold Ashanti and PwC.
• Nompilo Morafo, the new executive for group corporate services and sustainability. Morafo will join MTN on 1 February 2019 from LafargeHolcim, where she was the country director for communications and public affairs. – © 2018 NewsCentral Media