Pan-African telecom provider MTN Group has announced the return of Stephen Blewett to the company to assume a new role as operations executive: markets, effective July.

Blewett will be taking over from Wim Vanhelleputte, who is departing to pursue new opportunities outside the company.

Prior to his return, Blewett served as CEO of MTN Cameroon. He had previously held similar leadership roles in the telecommunications industry, including CEO of MTN Benin and chief commercial officer at Namibian mobile operator MTC.

In his new role, MTN says Blewett will assume executive responsibility for the WECA (West and Central Africa) markets of Liberia, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau and Congo Brazzaville, and provide general operations support across the same region, reporting directly to Ebenezer Twum Asante, senior vice president: markets.

MTN says: “Stephen Blewett brings a wealth of experience to his new position, having most recently served as the group chief operating officer of Digicel, based in Kingston, Jamaica. In this role, he oversaw 20 country CEOs and spearheaded key areas such as marketing, information and technology, procurement, financial services, gaming, and digital media.”

Blewett holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. He is also a published author of marketing, sales, and business books.

Ralph Mupita, MTN Group president and CEO welcomed Blewett while expressing deep appreciation to Vanhelleputte for his contribution to the company.

He says: “Wim joined MTN in 2009 as CEO of MTN Cote d’Ivoire, and subsequently moved to Bharti Airtel in 2015. He returned to MTN as CEO of MTN Uganda in 2016, leading the Opco's impressive recovery and driving notable growth. His departure is sincerely acknowledged, and best wishes are extended to him for his future endeavours.”