NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 2 – Bharti Airtel has appointed two executives to steer its network and internal assurance functions across 16 countries in Africa.
Tay Kim Lee has been named as Director of Internal Assurance whilst Eben Albertyn will take up the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) role.
In a statement, Bharti has said the two new appointees bring a wealth of experience gained in top management levels from various organizations across the globe.
“Their appointments are in tandem with Airtel’s goal to connect communities across Africa by providing affordable and innovative mobile solutions to all,” said Manoj Kohli, CEO (International) and Joint Managing Director.
Ms Lee has worked with organisations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Singapore International Group (SingTel), a strategic partner of Bharti Airtel.
Her tenure at PwC saw her provide leadership in critical assurance; risk based financial audits and operational reviews for large corporations such as Compaq Asia, NEC, Fuji Xerox and Globe Telecom, among others.
Her last position at SingTel International saw her drive the group’s international strategic plans and individual initiatives that drew synergies among the group’s operators whilst ensuring a common and collaborative execution platform.
“She is recognised as guiding SingTel’s successful operations and new business development initiatives in the Asian telecommunications market,” said Mr Kohli.
Mr Albertyn, an engineer by training, has worked with a leading pan-African operator across the continent. Notably, he has been credited with offering leadership to technical teams in Ghana and Cameroon that led to the turning around of businesses through vast improvements in network quality.
As Chief Technical Officer spearheading network design, he provided the technical expertise in developing, modeling and implementing Africa’s first IP 3G/HSPA network in Ghana.
Mr Kohli added: “Our intention to provide affordable and innovative mobile solutions in Africa will be backed by the passion and wealth of experience from the leadership team we are attracting and nurturing. Today’s appointments are a testament of our commitment towards the goal of providing unrivalled telecommunications services and building a world class organization in Africa”.
“The two new leaders, Kim and Eben, will definitely add impetus to our leadership team, having gained high level global experience in diverse markets in Asia and Africa. Their expertise will also tap into existing talent and create the skills within their teams, which all successful brands require.”
The two roles will provide an important fulcrum in Airtel’s business as they revolve around ensuring a successful business model on the back of a world-class network infrastructure. The incoming Chief Technical Officer will be charged with instituting and maintaining a robust network enhancement plan in line with the next evolution in network systems.
As Internal Assurance Director Ms. Lee will play an important role in enhancing the control environment and corporate governance processes whilst identifying opportunities and implementing action plans to ensure efficiency of services.
Bharti Airtel has operations in Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
