MTN has announced the appointment of Benjamin Marais as its new Chief Information Officer. Marais is set to begin work on 1 March 2016 following his departure from Discovery Health where he served in the same position.

As a qualified engineer, MTN says Marais also comes with a wealth of experience in the banking, health and digital space. Marais also has extensive global experience, having worked across the continent, in the United Kingdom and in the Middle East according to MTN.

Mteto Nyati, Chief Executive Officer of MTN South Africa, says Marais contribution will ensure that MTN introduces cutting-edge systems that will significantly enhance customer experience.

"As we venture into delivering on our strategy of being truly customer-centric, we need to tap into the wealth of skills that may be found outside of the telecommunications sector. There are organisations that have successfully gone through the same transformation, hence it is important to get best practice by tapping into those skills in order to set ourselves apart," says Nyati.

Nyath adds that the appointment of an incumbent of Marais' is part of a strategy of attracting and retaining the best talent in the market. "Communication has grown to become increasingly complex and therefore it is critical that the systems we have in place meet the challenges of the modern day era. It is therefore pivotal that we take a proactive approach to integrating our systems, while ensuring that our processes are simplified and not burdensome for the end user."

Marais looks forward to his new role. "I am proud to be part of this dynamic company that is using its technology to change lives across its footprint in Africa and the Middle East. I am confident that with the team that I have in place and the support of the Board, we can use the transformative power of technology to considerably improve the way our customers interact with the MTN brand."