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Cell C’s Mendes building 'profitable' telco with new hires

By , ITWeb
South Africa , 13 Dec 2023
Denver Alwar has been as the new  Cell C executive head: regional operations.
Denver Alwar has been as the new Cell C executive head: regional operations.

Cell C, a South African mobile operator, has made significant leadership changes in order to propel the company towards faster development and long-term performance.

Zia Sadik, formerly the executive in charge of customer value management (CVM), was promoted to the newly created position of executive head: growth and retentions.

According to Cell C, Sadik will report directly to the chief growth officer, whose appointment will be announced next year.

Since joining Cell C in August 2022, Sadik has played a crucial role in revitalising the CVM function and implementing streamlined governance structures, reorganised teams, and clearer duties and responsibilities, according to Cell C.

"He delivered simplified portfolios, overseen crucial systems migration, and bolstered our CVM capabilities, which has contributed to revenue growth," according to the statement.

"Zia's expertise encompasses critical elements of growth with a strong commercial acumen, analytics and machine learning, personalised scaling, and the delivery of consumer technology platforms."

Cell C also named Denver Alwar as the new executive head: regional operations today. Alwar will report directly to the telco's chief sales, distribution, and regions officer, who is expected to join in the coming year.

According to the company, "Denver brings extensive leadership experience and excellent credentials in telecoms sales and distribution, spanning Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, coupled with a robust operational background in the Retail and FMCG sectors and strong commercial capability."

The latest appointments come as Cell C CEO Jorge Mendes is putting together a team to help him turn the mobile operator profitable.

Melanie Forbes, a 25-year marketing expert, has since been hired to play a vital role in rebuilding the brand.

Earlier this year, Rachael Ayo-Oladejo, a former Airtel Nigeria employee, was designated chief of staff, strategy, and business transformation.

Mendes said today of the two new hires, "I am delighted with the exceptional talent driving our growth and profitability." Zia and Denver have been important in positively guiding our growth trajectory.

"Anchored by our customer-centric strategy, I am confident that Cell C will make significant strides in the telecoms consumer market by leveraging our new organisational structure and leadership."

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