MTN has appointed David Behr as the new chief executive of its ICT Centre of Excellence (CoE), effective 1 November 2023.
Behr is an industry veteran with over two decades of experience, including 11 years at Liquid Intelligent Technologies, where he currently serves as Liquid C2 CEO.
Before joining the African telecoms giant, he founded one of Zimbabwe’s initial Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and helped grow it to become the largest in the country.
Among his academic qualifications is an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Master of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Bristol in the UK.
Behr will succeed Vaughn Naidoo, who held the interim position.
MTN said Behr had extensive expertise in the enterprise arena, including enterprise cloud, cyber security, IOT solutions and platform development, amongst others.
“Behr’s experience in developing CoEs will help MTN achieve the enterprise scale it requires across its 19 operating markets,” MTN said.
MTN South Africa CEO Charles Molapisi said Behr’s exceptional career and deep industry knowledge made him the ideal choice to lead MTN’s ICT CoE.
“He will play a pivotal role in advancing our strategic initiatives, strengthening our partnerships, and driving innovation that enhances our customers’ digital experiences,” Molapisi said.
A CoE is a centralised unit within an organisation that’s responsible for developing and promoting best practices, processes and standards for the business.
MTN Group chief operating officer, Jens Schulte-Bockum, emphasised that CoEs were essential for enterprise customers.
“ICT solutions specifically designed to service enterprises is undoubtedly one of the most fast-developing and ever-evolving sectors within business today,” Schulte-Bockum said.
“By pulling together best-in-class multidisciplinary specialists, we can drive thought leadership and guarantee fast task execution while enhancing our organisation’s capabilities.
“This is a powerful value-add to our customers who always expect cutting-edge solutions from us, to help their businesses thrive,” Schulte Bockum says.
Behr’s appointment is focused in particular on MTN’s goal to maximise its strategic alliance with “hyperscalers” and other essential partners.
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