MTN South Africa has appointed Wanda Matandela as chief commercial operations officer, effective October 1, following the recent introduction of the role, as the company gears up to deliver on its Ambition 2025 strategy.

In his new portfolio, Matandela is mandated to lead MTN’s transition from a telecommunications company to a technology company in line with its 2025 strategy, building on the strong foundation laid to date, while preparing the business for the future.

In the interim, until a suitable replacement has been appointed, he will continue to lead the Enterprise business.

“He has been instrumental in leading the turnaround and growth strategy of the Enterprise business and, over the years, has consistently delivered impressive results, both operationally and financially, setting the business on an excellent path for continuous growth into the future,” says MTN SA CEO Charles Molapisi.

“As we strive to achieve our strategic objectives of driving business growth, transforming customer experience and overhauling employee engagement, it is important that we have the right individuals in place to achieve this,” Molapisi says, noting that Matandela’s extensive experience will have a notable contribution towards enhancing commercial and operational functions as it seeks to deliver an enhanced customer experience.

Matandela, a seasoned business executive with years of experience working across information and communications technology, financial services and entertainment industries, previously held the position of MTN Business chief enterprise officer, overseeing the telecommunication’s business-to-business offerings and services.

Prior to MTN, he held various senior executive roles in companies such as Vodacom, Wesbank and Ster-Kinekor.

He holds a BCom Accounting degree, a Masters in Information Systems from the University if the Witwatersrand, an MBA from Stellenbosch University and a Certificate in Leadership from IMD, in Switzerland.

The appointment of Matandela follows the recent internal appointments of Ernst Fonternel as chief consumer officer and Divyesh Joshi as MTN SA chief strategy and transformation officer, both of whom started their new roles this month.

“The fast-paced world of telecommunications and technology requires an agile, responsive, and pioneering leadership approach. To this end, our focus has been on defining, designing and shaping a future-fit leadership model for MTN SA, leveraging the extensive experience and expertise within the senior leadership team,” concludes Molapisi.