Vodacom CEO Pieter Uys will step down from the company next March and will be succeeded by former Vodacom SA MD Shameel Joosub.
Uys has spent almost 20 years at Vodacom, including four as CEO, a position he took up in 2008. He took over from Vodacom's first CEO, Alan Knott Craig Snr, who moved to Cell C earlier this year after a brief retirement.
In a statement, Uys says: “I have had a fantastic two decades with Vodacom and will cherish many happy memories. I'm hugely proud of our people: together, we have created a powerful and trusted brand at the centre of our customers' daily lives. It's now time for change, and I will leave Vodacom confident that the business will prosper under Shameel's [Joosub's] leadership.”
Joosub is currently the CE of Vodafone Spain. He was previously MD of Vodacom SA and a director of the Vodacom board between 2000 and 2010 before moving to Spain. He will take up his new position on 1 September “to ensure a smooth transition and handover,” says Vodacom in a statement.
'Many achievements'
Vodacom credits Uys with leading Vodacom's debut on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange after Telkom unbundled its stake in the operator. Vodacom says he has achieved a shareholder return of 96% since listing.
Chairman Peter Moyo thanked Uys, on behalf of the board, for “his many achievements in establishing a great business which now serves the needs of 49 million customers across five countries”.
Vodacom is “grateful for his vision, leadership and commitment over the past two decades,” says Moyo. He welcomed Joosub back to the company. “As one of the leading architects of Vodacom's success from its earliest beginnings, Shameel will be ideally placed to build on Pieter's substantial legacy.”
Joosub is “truly excited to be rejoining the team”. He has a Bachelor of Accounting Science (Honours) from the University of South Africa and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia.
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