The great journey of Mteto Nyati – from a young man in Umtata to MTN SA CEO

MTN recently appointed Mteto Nyati as the new CEO of its South African operations.

Nyati took over from Ahmad Farroukh, who joined Saudi telecom operator Etihad Etisalat Company as chief executive.

Nyati joined MTN as group chief enterprise officer in October 2014, after working at Microsoft South Africa from 2008.

At Microsoft, Nyati served as managing director for its South African operations, and also had a short stint as the group’s GM for the MEA Emerging Regions.

Here is how Nyati rose from a young man in the Eastern Cape to one of South Africa’s most powerful telecommunications executives.

Mteto Nyati was born in Umtata, Eastern Cape on 21 December 1964. Both his father and mother were teachers. His dad had a BA Degree from Unisa and Master’s in Education from Cardiff University. His mother left teaching to become a successful business woman.

Umtata

He attended primary school at the Tabase Junior Secondary School in Umtata, where he excelled academically. Mteto moved to the St Patrick Mission in Libode, Eastern Cape – a Roman Catholic school – from grade 7 to grade 9.

Libode

He moved to St John’s College in Umtata in grade 10, and completed his matric there in 1980. He excelled academically, and represented South Africa at the International Science Olympiad in London.

St John’s College

After school he started as an engineer-in-training at Afrox in Johannesburg. Afrox then offered him an academic scholarship to do an engineering degree.

Afrox

Mteto did a BSc in Mechanical Engineering at the University of KwaZulu-Natal from 1982 to 1985.

University of KwaZulu-Natal

He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study towards a Master’s degree in engineering in Germany in 1985. He declined on account of his mother’s poor health at the time, but gained his MBA from Wits University in 1992.

Wits

After graduating, Mteto became a regional engineer at Afrox in the Northern Transvaal. He later became a process engineer at the company’s Gases Operations Centre in Germiston.

Afrox

He joined Tastic Rice as an engineering manager in February 1992, where he helped to consolidate all Tastic Rice plants located throughout South Africa to a central location in Pietermaritzburg.

Pietermaritzburg

After leaving Tastic Rice he joined Nampak in Longdale as a manufacturing consultant, where he implemented manufacturing techniques to improve the competitiveness of Nampak products.

Nampak

Mteto joined IBM South Africa in September 1996 as a client executive for the pulp and paper Industry. In January 1998 he was promoted to telecommunications and media executive. He became the small and medium business executive at IBM South Africa in July 1999, and in July 2001 Mteto was promoted to director of SMB Channels at IBM EMEA.

IBM South Africa

In 2004 he was named as one of Yale University’s World Fellows on Global Leadership.

Yale University

He became director of IBM Global Technology Services in January 2005, where he repositioned IBM Global Services as a relevant player in the SA IT services market.

Mteto Nyati

In August 2008 he left IBM to join Microsoft South Africa as Managing Director, and served in this position for close to six years.

Mteto Nyati

Mteto was named the 2013 Male Business Personality of the Year in the Oliver Transformation and Empowerment Awards, which celebrate South Africa’s black economic empowerment champions.

Mteto Nyati – 2013 Male Business Personality of the Year

He served as general manager MEA Emerging Regions at Microsoft for 3 months before leaving the company for MTN.

Mteto Nyati at Microsoft

He became a non-executive director at the JSE-listed Advtech in February 2014.

Mteto Nyati

He joined MTN as group chief enterprise officer in October 2014.

Mteto Nyati at MTN

He was named the 2014 IT Personality of the Year by the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa.

Mteto Nyati

In July 2015 Mteto Nyati was named CEO of MTN South Africa.

Mteto Nyati