Kyle Whitehall appointed to take the reins of Neotel
PAN AFRICAN telecoms group Liquid Telecom last week appointed new chief executive Kyle Whitehill for its acquired subsidiary Neotel.
At Neotel Whitehall will be expected to oversee plans to make extensive upgrades and expansions to Neotel’s network and to unlock access to highspeed, reliable connectivity across South Africa. He will replace interim chief executive Nic Rudnick.
Whitehill previously served as chief executive in different telecommunications industry markets which include the Middle East, Asia and Africa. He had a stint with Vodafone Ghana, serving as its chief executive.
Whitehill is a veteran in the industry, having spent almost 15 years with the Vodafone Group. He recently served as chief executive of Vodafone Qatar, overseeing the successful launch of the country’s fastest 4G+ network.
In Ghana he was credited for establishing the company as a market leader in both fixed-line and enterprise services, as well as two years as chief operating officer in India. Whitehill almost spent seven years in the UK leading one of Vodafone’s biggest enterprise business units.
He had a good spell in Ghana after taking over from David Venn. He inherited a company with a subscriber base of about two million and grew it by more than 150 percent to more than five million subscribers. With Vodafone Ghana Whitehill won several awards, including the CIMG Telecoms Company of the year in 2011.
He was quoted as saying about his appointment: “This is an exciting time to be joining Neotel, as we look to reaffirm the company’s position in the market through improved services and products for our customers.”
Liquid Telecom said: “Since leaving Vodafone, Kyle had a brief spell setting up the international arm of Ezdan Holding Group, Qatar’s largest real estate firm.” Whitehill will oversee plans to make extensive upgrades and expansions to Neotel’s network, enabling more customers to access highspeed, reliable connectivity across South Africa.
Liquid fully concluded its R6.55 billion buyout of Neotel in February, with plans to focus on delivering enhanced network services to enterprises and consumers.
Another executive, Michael Allschwang, was appointed in April to take up the role of chief sales and marketing officer at Neotel.