Subscribe

Vodacom COO resigns to pursue family business

Bonnie Tubbs
By Bonnie Tubbs, ITWeb telecoms editor.
Johannesburg, 16 Apr 2015
Romeo Kumalo has resigned as chief operating officer of international business at Vodacom.
Romeo Kumalo has resigned as chief operating officer of international business at Vodacom.

Vodacom's international chief operating officer Romeo Kumalo will leave the group at the end of May after having been with the company for over a decade.

Yesterday, Vodacom SA CEO Shameel Joosub sent out correspondence to staff announcing "with regret" that Kumalo would leave Vodacom to join his family business.

Kumalo joined Vodacom in August 2004 as group executive of strategic business development. He then went on to become MD of Vodacom Tanzania and was appointed chief commercial officer at Vodacom SA in April 2007.

He was appointed to the Vodacom group executive committee in November 2010 and, one-and-a-half years later, took on the title he holds today - COO of international business.

It was under Kumalo that Vodacom pursued business in Ethiopia, eventually securing a value-added service licence in the country last February.

Last month, Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao indicated the company was still fervently pursuing African opportunities - a charge lead by Vodacom SA - despite the challenges it continues to face on this front.

Joosub says Kumalo's successor will be announced "in due course".

It is not known at this stage what Kumalo's family business entails.

According to his Who's Who profile, Kumalo held a number of senior positions in the media and broadcasting sectors prior to his Vodacom career, including GM of SABC 1 (2000 to 2004) and GM of Metro FM (1997 to 2000).

Share