Michele Gamberini resigns from MTN South Africa as Rami Farah becomes new CTO

The chief technology and information officer for MTN South Africa, Michele Gamberini, has resigned from his office. As seen in a report by MyBroadband, the mobile network operator said Michele’s administrative tenure came to an end in late July.

“MTN SA can confirm the resignation of Chief Technology and Information Officer, Michele Gamberini, who has exited MTN to pursue an opportunity that allows him to be closer to his family in Italy,” said MTN SA’s sustainability and corporate affairs chief Jacqui O’Sullivan.

Other than Gamberini, there have been other departures among MTN’s executive members this year. Megan Nicholas, the former managing director of Supersonic, left the company in April without any formal announcement. Gamberini and Nicholas were appointed to their positions at MTN on the same date, January 12, 2022. After Gamberini left, MTN South Africa’s CTIO role has been divided into two separate positions.

Meet the new Chief Technology Officer at MTN South Africa

In place of the departing Michele Gamberini, Rami Farah has been appointed as the new Chief Technology Officer for MTN South Africa. Rami has been with the Group since 2001 and served as CTO in various countries including MTN Liberia, MTN Rwanda, MTN Uganda, and recently MTN Iran, where he managed over 16,000 sites, according to Jacqui O’Sullivan, chief sustainability & Corporate Affairs Officer in MTN South Africa.

“We are delighted to have a long-time MTNer, Rami Farah, join us in South Africa as our new Chief Technology Officer,” O’Sullivan said.

O’Sullivan pointed out that Farah has been leading MTN SA’s power resilience project for the last eight months. Before coming to MTN, he held different technology positions in several other companies, including Spacetel Syria–94, Inteltec S.A.R.L, and Lonestar Communications Corporation. Additionally, Farah holds a Masters degree in Telecommunication from the Aristotle University.

MTN South Africa’s new executive for information technology, Nomthi Nelwamondo, was appointed on May 1, 2023.

“Nomthi comes to us from Assupol Holdings Limited, where she was Chief Information Officer,” O’Sullivan added.

Having an international Honors degree in Software Engineering from Malaysia, as well as a Master’s degree in Information Technology from the University of Pretoria, Nelwamondo’s educational background is complemented by a Master’s degree in Business Leadership (MBL) obtained from the University of South Africa.

She embarked on her professional career at Telkom, where she advanced through a series of leadership roles. Her responsibilities at Telkom included serving as a Senior Manager ISP, overseeing Executive Core Network Operations, managing Executive Wholesale Services, and ultimately holding the position of Group IT Managing Executive.

Nelwamondo also served as the CIO of Liquid Telecom South Africa, before MTN originally announced her appointment as IT Executive in a press release on February 21, 2023. Farah was also featured in the announcement, with MTN stating at the time that he had been serving in a new “Executive for Network” capacity since January 1, 2023.

In a plot twist that echoes beyond MTN, the trend of senior executives stepping down without a company statement seems to be making the rounds. At Cell C, both COO Andre Ittman and CFO Lerato Pule mysteriously exited the scene, and it wasn’t until whispers found their way to the media that the company reluctantly confirmed the departures.

Some major activities of MTN South Africa

Weeks ago, MTN revealed that it intends to increase tariffs in South Africa and other selected African markets. This decision is intended to soften the blow of inflation which rose from 11.5% last year to 18.5% as of Q1 of 2023, as revealed in its recently released first-quarter report for the year.

The company is looking to divest its stake in its Liberian subsidiary, as well as its Guinea-Bissau and Guinea operations. The sale is part of MTN’s strategy to streamline its operations and focus on its core markets. The company has been working to simplify its portfolio for several years, and this move will allow it to consolidate its presence in key markets such as Nigeria and South Africa.

Read More: MTN to increase tariff in Nigeria, South Africa, and other African markets as inflation continues to rise