The man MTN Zambia has been paying to look through the window, will now focus on information and technology at group level. Charles Molapisi will effective 01 Jan 2019 report to MTN head office as Group Chief Technology and Information Officer. A very down to earth yet intelligent individual with a pedigree of excellence. Interacting with Molapisi both at corporate and non-business related functions reveals key lessons about rising to the top. His leadership style is one that everyone in the C- suite must emulate. Molapisi’s trajectory is one that defy’ s the odds especially that his background is purely commerce but that did not stop Molapisi from heading the technical part of Africa’s largest mobile provider – MTN.
Deviating from the status quo, allow me to make reference to the Japanese cyber security minister who has never used a computer before but was confident of fighting cyber-crime. It never really bothered him. Molapisi’ s academic background is purely commerce with a University of South Africa (UNISA) Master of Business Leadership, KwaZulu Natal (KZN) post graduate qualification in Business Management and an Wits University undergraduate commerce degree. His 16 years’ experience in telecoms justifies his understanding of the technical of the sector having worked at Telkom, Liberty Life and MTN (Zambia, Nigeria and SA).
In Zambia, Molapisi’s effort are visible from social media platforms where he is one of, if not only the CEO humble enough to chat with subscribers on Facebook through a session dubbed ‘MTN CEO’ chat. No many executives globally fold their sleeves to connect to the grassroots consistently. Molapisi defy’ s the odds showing that being at the top is really about servant-hood to meet client’s needs than anything else.
Molapisi’s current office is on the first floor as opposed to many traditional leaders that would prefer to have power houses at the pinnacle of the building symbolizing power. The outgoing Zambia MTN CEO is very accessible a trait which has emphasized at meetings with staff and non-related staff. Molapisi likes to read books and is a strategist.
“When you get an announcement for a new boss, always find out what they like so as to stay ahead of the game. I did the same with one of my superiors, went the extra mile to google and find out what books they like, such that by the time I met them for the first time, I was able to buy and read those books which formed the basis of the first conversation we ever had. Impression is everything,” Molapisi said at a marketplace calling networking event at Protea Hotel in Lusaka the capital in 2017.
Molapisi has driven very successful partnerships such as banking integration with Stanbic and Barclays allowing free access to banking services on condition that one is an MTN subscriber. MTN has also partnered with pension funds such as NAPSA to enable remission of contributions online. The famous mobile money (MoMo) explosive growth in Zambia happened during his clock and one would think MTN is campaigning to be a bank because the last few years have really been about transact-ability through digital platforms for which MTN has enabled. As a result of these intelligent initiatives MTN have managed to defend their position as Zambia’s preferred network provider. His foot print was and is still being felt by techprenuers who is has assisted integrate with MTN and the corporate social responsibility efforts with the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ).
Molapisi will be succeeded by outgoing Cyprus CEO Philip van Dalsen. MTN Group chief technology and information officer Babak Fouladi’s resignation lacuna will be filled by Charles Molapisi.
Other leadership changes
GROUP CIO -IT Design Delivery: 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.
GROUP EXECUTIVE – INTERNAL AUDIT – 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.
GROUP EXECUTIVE CORPORATE SERVICES AND SUSTAINABILITY: 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.