Cell C appoints acting CFO El Kope in permanent capacity

Cell C’s acting CFO, El Kope, has been appointed permanently in the role, the telecom operator says.

Kope had been acting in that capacity since August 2023, after Lerato Pule exited as CFO after less than a year on the job. Pule was recently appointed CFO of Liquid Intelligent Technologies’

SA business.

During her time as interim finance chief, Cell C said Kope “demonstrated remarkable leadership, strategic foresight, and financial acumen. Her swift actions have significantly improved governance, stabilised the finance department, and strengthened relationships with critical stakeholders, thus placing Cell C in a more favourable position”.

Cell C has achieved several milestones, improving governance structures and “instituting the correct methodologies resulting in revenue enhancement”.

The mobile provider’s leadership has undergone a shakeup in the past year.

A year ago, CEO Jorge Mendes left Vodacom after 23 years, taking over at Cell C in June after the sudden exit of

Douglas Craigie Stevenson in March. Mendes’ appointment at Cell C was followed by the exit of Pule.

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 seeks to increase growth and steady investor confidence.

SA’s fourth-largest mobile operator also recently appointed Darius Badenhorst as its chief growth officer.

Kope is a qualified chartered accountant, who joined Cell C in September 2022 as executive head for financial planning and analysis.

She has built a track record and experience from her tenure at multinationals such as DHL, Coca-Cola Africa and SA Breweries. She played a pivotal role in driving Tsebo International’s $150m turnover during her tenure.

“I cannot be more pleased about her well-deserved appointment. I look forward to her ongoing contribution as we drive our growth and reposition Cell C for long-term sustainability,” Mendes said in a statement.

All this comes as Cell C’s largest shareholder, Blue Label Telecoms, gets ready to take control of the mobile operator. The group has applied to SA’s telecom regulator to raise its 49.53% stake to about 53%.

The group, run by brothers Mark and Brett Levy, completed the long-awaited recapitalisation of the troubled mobile company in September 2022. The mobile network operator has struggled to make a profit since it opened for business in 2001.

Technology Correspondent