Vodacom, South Africa’s biggest cellphone operator, has shaken up its senior management and appointed a new business development officer to give its strategy group more time to focus on acquisitions.
Vodacom said on Wednesday it has appointed Peter Matlare, currently executive director: commercial at Vodacom South Africa, to the new post of chief strategy and business development officer, reporting directly to the chief executive.
This will give Vodacom’s strategy and acquisitions group more time to focus on chasing deals as the company tries to expand into potentially lucrative markets in the rest of Africa to offset slower growth at home.
Vodacom is jointly owned by Telkom and Britain’s Vodafone. It dominates the South African market but lags behind rival MTN in Africa as a whole.
Romeo Kumalo, head of Vodacom’s Tanzania business, becomes commercial director at Vodacom South Africa, while Dietlof Mare moves from heading the Democratic Republic of Congo operations to replace him in Tanzania, Vodacom said.
Mervyn Visagie moves from heading Vodacom Lesotho to Vodacom Congo, and Godfrey Mbingo takes over as chief of Vodacom Lesotho.
The changes are effective from April 1. — Reuters