Telecommunications firm MTN Group has announced senior leadership appointments to operating companies in Nigeria, Iran and Sudan, effective April 1.
The move is in line with MTN’s strategy to drive growth, de-leverage faster and reveal value in its fintech and fibre businesses.
“A vital enabler of our strategy is having the best talent, culture and future-fit skills,” said MTN Group president and CEO Ralph Mupita.
All of the appointments were internal candidates, demonstrating the depth of talent within the group and the strength of its succession planning, he added.
MTN Irancell COO Hassan Jaber will assume the role of COO at MTN Nigeria following current COO Mazen Mroue’s appointment as MTN Group chief information and technology officer.
“Jaber’s track record of building and scaling-up telecom operations and developing digital businesses through the power of mobile technology will be instrumental to MTN Nigeria as it plays its part in delivering on the group’s strategic intent of leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress. He has served MTN in numerous markets, including Ghana, Guinea-Conakry, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen,” said Mupita.
Malik Melamu will take up the position of MTN Irancell COO, joining from MTN Sudan where he has been CEO over the last five years.
Among other roles at MTN, he previously served as MTN Benin CEO and as MTN Group sales and distribution and customer experience executive.
MTN Syria CEO Ziad Sabah has been appointed CEO of MTN Sudan.
Sabah is a seasoned business leader and will play a pivotal role in strengthening MTN Sudan’s market position through initiatives to advance digital and financial inclusion.
“These appointments demonstrate the depth of leadership bench-strength within the MTN Group, and we remain focused on delivering sustainable growth to our stakeholders. Nigeria, Iran and Sudan are markets with attractive demographics and tremendous potential growth opportunities for digital and financial inclusion,” concluded Mupita.