Former Lenovo sales director Charlene Munilall has joined Huawei as general manager of the company's local consumer business division.
Huawei says Munilall, who was appointed at the beginning of May, brings a wealth of experience in the mobile and computing space to her new position. "[She] has honed her skills over the past eight years in the ICT industry, driven by the possibilities she sees in this field."
Munilall sees the technology sector as the most interesting and progressive of all industries, with "mobile devices as a key driver, especially in education and health".
She has worked for multinational ICT brands across Africa and previously directed sales for Nokia in sub-Sahara Africa, and headed Samsung's African telecommunications and product management teams.
Prior to joining Huawei's Consumer Business Group, Charlene was sales director for Lenovo's Africa operations.
Huawei says Munilall has overseen strong growth of some of the world's leading brands in Africa, where "growth is being driven by unprecedented expansion of a middle class with disposable income that is feeding an appetite for technology solutions".
As many as 97% of the continent's population are expected to have a mobile subscription by 2017, of which 30% will have a smartphone, notes Huawei.
"Charlene has shown her ability to capitalise on these trends to drive double-digit sales growth through a keen understanding of consumer demands and execution of clear, insightful growth strategies."
Women in tech
Munilall advocates the expansion of opportunities for women in technology - a sector historically run by men.
"I believe there is a huge gap in the industry with the lack of women. There are far too few women currently, and I saw this as a great opportunity to grow and showcase my capabilities. There is a space for corporate companies to create programmes that will assist in the growth and career development of women within the technology space," she says.
"Women bring a different dimension to the workplace and are more detailed when it comes to planning and implementing within a business environment. There are lots of opportunities to fuse this with our male counterparts and create a better work and business environment that ensures growth."
Munilall says she is determined to bring this thinking into her new role at Huawei, while using that position of influence to help women across the continent realise the opportunities that technology presents.
"Previously, 70% of women in SA didn't have access to a formal education and I believe mobile devices will play a huge role in assistin g with educating women on this platform."
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