Ken Jarvis goes Huge

Johannesburg, 04 Sept 2008

Former South African Revenue Service (SARS) CIO and well-known IT personality Ken Jarvis joined the Huge Group as a non-executive board member from the beginning of September.

Jarvis, who left SARS in 2006, did a stint as CIO of AA Autobay, a local pre-owned car portal, dealing in privately-owned vehicles, while also focusing on mentoring and coaching in the SME sector.

Commenting on his appointment to the Huge Group's board, Jarvis says he would like to play a strategic role and contribute to the telecommunication company's growth.

"This is a young and exciting company, and there is tremendous growth potential in the telecoms space. I'm very happy to be part of this company and I see it as another challenge."

Jarvis left AA Autobay about 14 months ago, having set up the company's systems within its three divisions - the trade-in, finance and insurance businesses. At the time, Jarvis said he had "outgrown" the CIO role and would be more satisfied coaching and mentoring through his own company, JIKA Africa.

"That has been going very well. Most of my clients have been from within SA, but I'm also looking for opportunities with East and Central Africa. I've been focusing on small and medium entities that need advising and guidance, in some cases acting as a project director."

At one stage, there was talk of Jarvis joining the Department of Home Affairs in a consulting capacity to assist with its turnaround, but this, he says, never materialised.

The Huge Group says in a statement that Jarvis's appointment is in line with its aim to build intellectual capital, and follows last month's appointment of Don Tredoux, founder of Orion Telecom, also in a non-executive capacity.

"Jarvis, the man responsible for the incredible turnaround of SARS from 2002 to 2006, started his working career in the mid-70s and spent a decade with IBM. His impressive CV lists a host of well-known companies who have headhunted him over the years, including Nedacom, Momentum Life, Nedcor Bank, Amplats, MultiChoice and SARS," says Huge.

The group's board now comprises a combination of industry executives from the likes of MTN, Autopage, Orion (Vox) and the ex-MDs of TelePassport and CentraCell.