Alan Knott-Craig
That is what Vodacom CE Alan Knott Craig has achieved and now, after experiencing health problems recently, he is planning to take a well-deserved rest.
Critics might point out that Vodacom’s success has had as much to do with being in the right place at the right time as any brilliance on Knott-Craig’s part and, of course, there is some merit to the argument.
After the suffocating oppression of Telkom’s monopoly, the freedom offered by cellular telephony was always going to go down a treat in SA.
But, while Vodacom may have been gifted a receptive market and the competitive space to recoup its considerable investment in double-quick time, there were also otherwise shareholders to contend with, leaving plenty of scope for strategic errors.
Knott-Craig’s main legacy will be his vision, both at the start of his tenure and especially now, towards the end.
Cutting ties with Telkom, as he has proposed, would be great for Vodacom and could be the tonic the South African telecommunications market needs.
“His main legacy will be his vision”
Loading ...