MTN Group Ltd. has appointed Mteto Nyati to lead its South African business, promoting the former Microsoft Corp. executive to run the wireless carrier’s second-biggest unit.
Nyati succeeds Ahmad Farroukh at the Johannesburg-based carrier immediately, MTN said in a statement. Farroukh resigned last week to join Etihad Etisalat Co. as chief executive officer, citing personal reasons.
“The appointment of a leader of Nyati’s calibre and competencies will greatly enhance our efforts to strengthen the confidence of our customers and reinvigorate our people,” MTN Chief Executive Officer Sifiso Dabengwa said in the statement.
MTN, Africa’s largest wireless operator, has been battling strikes over pay and bonuses in its home market, where sales have declined because of competition and price cuts imposed by regulators. MTN’s biggest market by subscribers is Nigeria.
Nyati joined MTN last year as the group chief enterprise officer. He was Microsoft’s managing director of the company’s South African business and general manager of the Middle East and Africa.