Global mobile messaging company Clickatell has appointed Deon van Heerden, its former UK country manager, as the company's South African country manager and VP of sales for the Middle East and Africa.
He takes over from Patrick Lawson, who returns to his role as CTO, after serving a dual role as SA country head and CTO.
Van Heerden will be responsible for the day-to-day operations in Clickatell's Cape Town office, the company says in a media statement. He will also look after sales in SA, the Middle East and Africa.
The operational heart of the company, Clickatell's local office houses the sales, finance, marketing and administration teams supporting the company's growing worldwide operations.
In addition, the Cape Town office acts as the company's innovation hub, housing the technical team of software engineers and product managers.
"Our aim is to use our traction in southern Africa as a springboard into the Middle East and African regions, making it a cornerstone of the company's global growth strategy," Van Heerden says.
Pieter de Villiers, chief executive of Clickatell, says Van Heerden's successful track record, combined with his business consulting and transformation experience, makes him the ideal candidate for the position.
"Deon successfully launched Clickatell's UK sales office and achieved a foothold in the mature European market in just 18 months."
Van Heerden previously held the position of senior manager with Accenture and The Berkeley Partnership. He also founded a successful private healthcare company in the UK.
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