Vodacom Announces Changes in Top Management Structure

Vodacom Business Nigeria, one of Nigeria’s leading total telecommunications providers has announced the appointment of Mr. Lanre Kolade as its Managing Director, with effect from from April 1, 2016.

Kolade replaces Mr. Guy Clarke who after eight years at the helm, returns to South Africa to take up the role of Managing Director, Vodacom Business Africa.

Lanre has been in the telecoms industry for over 19 years and has recently served as the Managing Director of Vodacom Business, responsible for business growth in West, East and parts of Southern Africa, excluding South Africa, Nigeria and Zambia.

Lanre, a graduate from Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa and the London Business School, UK, is a seasoned and innovative business leader who is passionate about people and great customer service.

Vodacom Business Nigeria provides innovative total communications solutions to enterprises in Nigeria, ranging from IPVPN, internet of things (IoT), cloud and hosting services, enterprise mobility applications that transform key value chains such as healthcare, agriculture and education.

The Chairman of Vodacom Business Nigeria, Mr. Vuyani Jarana, welcomed Lanre’s appointment. “Lanre, has been a senior leader and key component of the succession management plan; he is a perfect choice to lead the company at a time when the Nigerian economy, like most African economies, is undergoing major difficulties,” Jarana said.

According to Lanre, Nigeria’s economy is fast digitising, enterprises must invest in digital platforms that would enable them to capture the opportunities presented by a fast digitising Nigerian consumer. He added that Vodacom Business Nigeria was well positioned to help enable enterprises in Nigeria to take advantage of opportunities brought by the digital economy.

Jarana affirmed Vodacom Business Nigeria’s utmost confidence in Lanre’s ability to lead the company, his extensive experience and capacity to unlock further opportunities, despite the difficult economic times. He furthermore thanked Clarke for his visionary leadership during his eight year tenure as managing director of Vodacom Business Nigeria.