Following the resignation of Sifiso Dabengwa over the record fine imposed on it by Nigeria, MTN has announced that it is to appoint Rob Shuter as its new Group President and CEO.
Shuter is currently CEO of the European Cluster at Vodafone and MTN says he will take up his new position “as soon as it is practically possible in 2017 but not later than 1 July 2017 after the completion of his current contractual obligations.”
In a SENS statement, MTN says it is confident it has finally found the right man for the job following an extensive, worldwide search.
“Rob, a South African national, has extensive experience in telecoms and banking having held senior management roles at Vodacom Group, Standard Bank and Nedbank prior to joining Vodafone Group,” the company says. “MTN is confident that Rob will bring experience and new insights to the CEO role having had many years in the telecoms sector both in Africa and Europe as well as in banking where his expertise will help as MTN continues to develop its new business strategy.”
Phutuma Nhleko, who assumed the position of Executive Chairman last year in order to resolve the Nigerian fine crisis, will revert to his role as non-Executive Chairman as soon as Shuter assumes his new position.
“Until then, in order to facilitate a smooth transition MTN Group CFO, Brett Goschen, and the new VP M&A and Strategy, will assume clearly defined additional responsibilities under the guidance of the Executive Chairman,” the company says. “Phuthuma remains fully committed to the MTN Group and will continue to provide the necessary leadership as non-executive chairman for the next two and a half years when he plans to step down as Chairman.”
Nhleko says that MTN has weathered a rather difficult storm and will continue to review its governance and management operating structure to ensure that it operates at an optimum level and continues to replenish management talent to ensure a sustained growth of the business.
“I warmly welcome Rob Shuter, the new VP M&A and Strategy, Godfrey Motsa and all the new non-executive directors to MTN Group and MTN South Africa,” Nhleko says. “I am confident that with the calibre of Rob Shuter as CEO, the group will resume its path to playing its rightful role in increasing connectivity and accelerating convergence across Africa and the Middle East.”
Says Shuter of his appointment: “I am honoured to have the opportunity and look forward to working with Phuthuma and the MTN Group board to ensure that we build on a strong foundation laid over the last 15 to 20 years for the Group to realise its full potential.”
