Sandile Msimango has been appointed to lead IHS South Africa following the acquisition of 5,709 towers in the country from MTN back in November. The transaction saw IHS secure a 70% stake while a B-BBEE consortium holds the remaining 30%.
As Capacity reported at the time, the deal saw IHS also commit to provide Power-as-a-Service (PaaS) to MTN at approximately 12,800 sites across South Africa, including the acquired sites.
IHS Towers' chairman and CEO, Sam Darwish, said: “Sandile’s appointment is an important step in our expansion into South Africa. On completion of our acquisition of MTN’s 5,709 towers, IHS will be the largest independent tower operator in the country.
"This marks the start of an exciting new chapter, and it is important that we have the most skilled executive leading these operations. Sandile brings that specialist telecommunications experience, and a deep knowledge of the South African market gained on-the-ground," he continued.
Msimango brings more than 20 years of experience to the role, and specialises in M&A, investments, corporate strategy implementation and execution.
The former MTN group M&A executive previously served as head of infrastructure investments and was instrumental in MTN's tower monetisation strategy. He began his investment banking career with Deutsche Securities and later Goldman Sachs International.
Most recently, he was the founder and managing partner of a strategic financial advisory consultancy and investment vehicle, Coombe Advisory, with offices in London and Dubai.
