New Vodacom CEO

Interesting read and well put. I am weary of star CEO's as a rule because it is such a niche thing that jumping from one industry to the next can be dangerous for the CEO and the companies they move to. That said however, it incredibly difficult to mess up a telecoms company in South Africa as things stand at the moment as it is a license to print money if you get the nod from government to operate.

I am keen to see who they put at the helm. I believe a BEE candidate will win the day but it is sad when it is becoming so overt. Who exactly are you uplifting by putting a person who likely already has millions in the bank up as a BEE candidate. It is a misnomer. BEE should be a bottom and middle of the rung effort with talent then moving naturally into top positions as and when they come to stand out.

But I am turning this into a political discussion and I don't want to. It is just funny to me how you can put a rich black guy in a senior management position and call it black economic empowerment. He is already empowered, logic would dictate. :) It should just be a plain and simple merit based promotion.
 
Last edited:
I wouldnt suggest Pieter Uys. I also think that the position should and would be internal. Did not know about the Maria Ramos story.
BEE sounds good, and think Shameel should get it over the Uys's and Delports.
Romeo wont be in the running right?
 
I think the decision will depend on where Vodacom intends to go in the future. Is it going to be more adventurous or merely consolidate on it's market position. But seeing as though they are lagging behind MTN in Africa and other developing markets, due largely to that silly agreement with Vodafone, they are not going to change IMO, so Uys would be my tip to go up to CEO.

But what read from the article, the top management of VC is mainly technically minded, and those type of people are not really known for pursuing risky strategies. But with high risk, comes high reward. Shameel Joosub, as the article states, is more a business man, and probably would be more inclined to explore growth strategies.

As for the BEE concern expressed in the article, Llewelyn Jones managed to land the top spot at a state body. So I think it is not going to be an important criteria, it would probably be a "nice to have".
 
sox63 said:
I think the decision will depend on where Vodacom intends to go in the future. Is it going to be more adventurous or merely consolidate on it's market position. But seeing as though they are lagging behind MTN in Africa and other developing markets, due largely to that silly agreement with Vodafone, they are not going to change IMO, so Uys would be my tip to go up to CEO.

But what read from the article, the top management of VC is mainly technically minded, and those type of people are not really known for pursuing risky strategies. But with high risk, comes high reward. Shameel Joosub, as the article states, is more a business man, and probably would be more inclined to explore growth strategies.

As for the BEE concern expressed in the article, Llewelyn Jones managed to land the top spot at a state body. So I think it is not going to be an important criteria, it would probably be a "nice to have".
Click to expand...

Mmmm he's to short lol! Just Kidding.
Growth exploration is what Telecoms is all about, ever changing, ever growing.;)
 
Shameel

I would probably go for Shameel. The article state's that he is more of a business man, which I think will probably be good for Vodacom to look at expanding, exploring markets ect

Voda might be the biggest operator in South Africa, but a dot in Africa going against the MTN ,Celtel, Orange ect.

Also If i am not mistaken, I think Shameel started from the bottom at Vodacom (Call Centre?) and over the years 'climbed the ladder' to where he is today - so although he may well satisfy the BEE requirment, if he gets it its because he deserves it and nothing else.
 
Pynet said:
Also If i am not mistaken, I think Shameel started from the bottom at Vodacom (Call Centre?) and over the years 'climbed the ladder' to where he is today - so although he may well satisfy the BEE requirment, if he gets it its because he deserves it and nothing else.
Click to expand...

Lol nope, not really I doubt there were any call centers early in 1994.
He started as an accountant for Vodac in 93/94.
Was appointed Managing Director 94/95 at an early age, I think he was 24.
He started along with Alan and Pieter. So he knows the bussiness inside out and he's still young.
 
I would say that if the Vodacom board opts for an outside appointment – or even an internal appointment which may disturb the current management (power) structure they will be well advised to ensure that they lock in a few key guys. Pieter is obviously one of those people, but many others in the company make it work.

I really hope they avoid what happened at Telkom – not good for any company to go through that kind of management shake-up. Vodacom has been a very pleasant and effective company to deal with, and I guess I have an interest that it remains as nice to deal with in future, hence the column :)
 
rpm said:
I would say that if the Vodacom board opts for an outside appointment – or even an internal appointment which may disturb the current management (power) structure they will be well advised to ensure that they lock in a few key guys. Pieter is obviously one of those people, but many others in the company make it work.

I really hope they avoid what happened at Telkom – not good for any company to go through that kind of management shake-up. Vodacom has been a very pleasant and effective company to deal with, and I guess I have an interest that it remains as nice to deal with in future, hence the column :)
Click to expand...

Good point, I doubt Pieter will feel upset should Shameel get it, If someone else gets it, Shameel and Pieter might not like it. The 3 of them started together, Alan, Shameel and Pieter, they have always taken orders from Alan, they wouldnt want to take orders from a newbie but rather from eachother.
Theres also another angle to look at, but I dont want to say it here:p
 
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X