Africa Business Communities

Aldo Mareuse new CEO Telkom Kenya

Helios Investment Partners, the majority shareholders of Kenya’s telco Telkom Kenya has announced the appointment of Aldo Mareuse as the its new CEO, in a management restructuring seen as strategic in shaping the mobile service provider’s business model and championing growth.  Mr. Mareuse, an engineer with 26 years’ experience in the telecommunication industry has been credited as a master of turnaround strategies.

Before his appointment he was the Group Chief Financial Officer of Orascom Telecom Holding, an Egypt listed company where he inspired the growth of the company from a mid-sized regional mobile operator handling 4 million subscribers to a regional behemoth with 100 million subscribers spanning four continents . The company would later merge with VimpelCom to birth one of the largest telecom carriers globally. Before then Aldo had a stint at Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) as a Managing director of the Investment Banking Division. It is this rich background and prowess in tact that Orange Kenya seeks to tap.

“I am delighted to take up this role and excited about the possibilities that lie ahead of us. Telkom Kenya’s long heritage in the telecommunications sector position the company well to tap into the emerging opportunities brought about by the technological and market changes in the sector. I look forward to working with the entire Telkom Kenya team to create an innovative and successful Kenyan brand, offering a diverse range of services across the Telecommunications sector in Kenya.” Said Mr. Mareuse.

The restructuring at the management level has also seen former Managing Director at Gambian based telco COMIUM Amer Atwi takes over as the Head of Mobile Business Division and veteran in the ICT sector John Barorot join Orange Kenya as Chief Technical and Information Officer. He has previously worked in Safaricom and Orange in senior management levels.

George Mokogi, who before his appointment has been Chief Carrier Services Officer at Telkom Kenya has been appointed head of the Wholesale Division while Steven Evans has been named Executive Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors which will see him chaperon the telco’s strategy.
The appointments come as former majority stakeholders France Telecoms finalized sale of 70 per cent stake of Telkom Kenya to private equity firm Helios Partners. This means that the private equity firm now owns 60 per cent of the mobile operator after it ceded 10 per cent to the Kenyan government.

“As Telkom Kenya (TK) enters a new phase of development, the Telkom Kenya Board and I are confident that Mr. Mareuse is best suited to lead the company through the transformation. We believe that his experience and proven track record in the telecoms sector as well as his disciplined approach to finance will be invaluable to the organisation as it navigates the transition,” said Eddy Njoroge, Chairman of Telkom Kenya’s Board of Directors.

Telkom Kenya has also reorganized its structure into four business divisions, Mobile, Fixed, WholeSale and Real Estate with a keen focus on diversifying to real estate to tap into more revenue streams as competition in the telecommunication sector heats up. It has already set up a real estate unit to spearhead this diversification. According to valuation reports, the company has $130 billion prime property holdings.

www.orange-tkl.co.ke

 

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