Two new appointments in the Cell C leadership shake-up

Cell C continues to change its leadership, making two appointments on Wednesday that the mobile operator hopes will “propel it towards accelerated growth and sustainable performance”, a year after completing its long-awaited recapitalisation.

The company announced that Zia Sadik, formerly executive overseeing customer value management, was appointed to the newly created role of executive head for growth and retentions. Denver Alwar will take up the role of executive head for regional operation.

They are the latest in a series of leadership changes at SA’s fourth-largest mobile operator in recent months.

Cell C said Sadik has delivered simplified portfolios, overseen crucial systems migration and bolstered Cell C’s customer value management capabilities, which has contributed to revenue growth. He will report to the chief growth officer, whose appointment is expected in the new year.

Alwar will report to the chief sales, distribution and regions officer, another appointment set to be made next year. Alwar has been instrumental in leveraging his stakeholder engagement experience to rebuild and strengthen relationships with retail partners and distributors, the company said.

There has been a big shakeup in Cell C leadership this year. CEO Jorge Mendes left Vodacom after 23 years in January, taking over at Cell C in June after the sudden exit of Douglas Craigie Stevenson in March.

Mendes’ entry at Cell C was soon followed by the exit of Lerato Pule as CFO, after less than a year in the job. Pule, a chartered accountant and former CFO of Telkom’s SME business, replaced former Cell C CFO Zaf Mahomed at the start of September 2022. Pule was recently appointed CFO at Liquid Intelligent Technologies’ SA business.

Former MTN SA CEO Godfrey Motsa and Maya Makanjee, the former group chief officer for corporate affairs at Vodacom, recently joined the Cell C board as the operator looks to push its growth and steady investor confidence.

In a statement on Wednesday, Mendes said: “I am delighted with the exceptional talent driving our growth and profitability. Zia and Denver have been instrumental in steering our growth trajectory positively. Anchored by our customercentric strategy, I am confident that Cell C will make significant strides in the telecom consumer market by leveraging our new organisational structure and leadership.”

The company said these promotions signal “a bold and decisive move towards ensuring that the company is well-equipped to deliver exceptional service and value to its customers, while fostering sustained growth and success in a rapidly evolving market”.

Blue Label, Cell C’s largest shareholder, completed the long-awaited recapitalisation of the troubled mobile operator in September. It has struggled to make a profit since it opened for business in 2001.

In addition to the most recent changes, the former head of Cell C’s mobile virtual network business, Stephen Morony, returned to head its wholesale unit in January, as the company continues to ramp up operations after the recapitalisation.

A month earlier, investment banker Brett Copans, was hired to a newly created role of chief restructuring officer.