Vodacom CEO Pieter Uys to move on

 ·5 Jul 2012
Pieter Uys

Vodacom CEO, Pieter Uys will leave Vodacom, and is to be replaced by Shameel Joosub, the company announced today (5 July 2012). Joosub is the current CEO of Vodafone Spain, and previously served as the MD of Vodacom.

Pieter joined Vodacom in 1993 as a member of the initial engineering team, and served as chief operating officer and MD of Vodacom SA before his appointment as CEO in October 2008.

Shameel joined Vodacom in March 1994 after completing his articles and has held various positions within Vodacom.

According to Vodacom, Uys has decided to step down at the end of March 2013 almost 20 years with Vodacom, including four years as chief executive. The appointment will take effect from 1 September 2012 to ensure a smooth transition and handover.

When Uys joined Vodacom, he led the development of the companys industry- leading network before being appointed as MD of Vodacom South Africa in 2001. He became the COO of Vodacom Group in 2004 and led the rollout of 3G services across the Group. Pieter Uys was appointed Vodacom Group chief executive in 2008.

He went on to lead the groups debut listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, achieving a shareholder return of 96% since listing, the group said in a statement.

Vodacom chairman Peter Moyo said: “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Pieter for his many achievements in establishing a great business which now serves the needs of 49 million customers across five countries. We are grateful for his vision, leadership and commitment over the past two decades. I am also delighted to welcome Shameel back to Vodacom. As one of the leading architects of Vodacoms success from its earliest beginnings, Shameel will be ideally placed to build on Pieter’s substantial legacy.”

Uys said: “I have had a fantastic two decades with Vodacom and will cherish many happy memories. I’m hugely proud of our people: together, we have created a powerful and trusted brand at the centre of our customers’ daily lives. It’s now time for change, and I will leave Vodacom confident that the business will prosper under Shameel’s leadership.”

Shameel Joosub said: “Vodacom is an outstanding company, and I’m truly excited to be rejoining the team. The business has gone from strength to strength under Pieter’s leadership, providing a robust platform for us to deliver world-class products and services to our customers.”

Joosub served as managing director of Vodacom SA from April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2011 before taking up the position as CEO of Vodafone Spain on 1 April 2011.

Joosub holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science (Honours) from the University of South Africa and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia.

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