Allied Technologies (Altech) has appointed Shahab Meshki as CEO of Altech Kenya Data Networks (KDN), effective as of today.
KDN is a communications company that provides a suite of services over its 6 000km fibre-optic network, including Internet protocol services, broadband transport, infrastructure and collocation services.
1 000% growth
“With more than 20 years of working experience in the information technology and telecommunications sector, Meshki brings a wealth of global management experience and expertise in the convergence of IT and telecommunications services,” says the company.
It adds that Meshki began his career with the Siemens AG Automation Division in charge of software and hardware development.
He then moved to Cisco, where he held various channel and sales management positions. In 2002, he moved to Kenya to establish Cisco's presence in East Africa.
As GM for Cisco in East Africa, until October 2011, he was responsible for running the sales operation in Kenya, focusing on key accounts in the corporate, government and service provider markets of the East African region.
Meshki will be responsible for creating the vision, business architecture and go-to-market strategy for KDN.
Shahab holds a Master's degree in electronic engineering from the Technical University of Berlin, and a Postgraduate degree from the University of Cambridge in public and private partnerships.
Management replaced
In September, Altech replaced the entire management team at its East African operation, after yet another disappointing reporting period.
In the first half of the year to August, the unit reported revenue down from R258 million to R173 million, and operating profit dropped to R1 million, from R52 million a year ago.
The unit weighed on Altech's pre-tax profit, which was R261 million, compared with R354 million in the first half of last year. It also performed poorly last year.
CEO Craig Venter said at the time: “[The] first half of the financial year showed results below our expectations, particularly from our operations in East Africa.” However, the bulk of the company's 34 operating units met or beat expectations, said Venter.
He said corrective action had been taken at the East African operation, and the entire management team had been replaced.
East Africa slumped due to delays in launching the data centre, a $7.5 million project in conjunction with KDN's co-shareholder, the Sameer Group, says Venter. The company has also experienced a lag in rolling out parts of its fibre network, he adds.
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