SOUTH AFRICA – MTN Group has announced the appointment of Hermann Tischendorf as its Chief Technology & Information Officer for Digital and Fintech.  

“We are delighted to have a seasoned executive of Hermann’s caliber joining our growing DigiFin team. He brings the skills and experience that will accelerate innovative digital and fintech advancements in line with our strategic intent of leading digital solutions for Africa progress,” said Serigne Dioum, Chief Digital and Fintech Officer, MTN Group.

Hermann joins from 4Finance Group, where he was Chief Technology Officer.

He has 30 years of experience in the financial services sector, where he has occupied numerous senior roles and brings a solid track record of success in directing organizational expansion, digital product development, operations management, IT budget allocation, as well as mergers and acquisitions.

At MTN, Hermann will bring transformation and disruption to our mobile payment platform and help improve customer engagement, experience, acquisition and loyalty. He will also be responsible for developing new products and services, building the nascent ecosystem, and scaling up existing revenue streams.

Hermann holds a Master of Business Administration and a Diploma with Honours from Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Austria and studied Finance & Banking at the Anderson School of Management, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

His appointment took effect on 1 December 2021.

Two days ago, the telco announced the exit of its Chief Technology and Information Officer Giovanni Chiarelli is stepping down after five years.

Chiarelli oversaw significant investment in MTN’s network in South Africa and led a significant improvement in network quality and performance – to the extent that independent third parties like Ookla now regularly report that it’s far ahead of rivals Vodacom, Telkom and Cell C.

In a letter to staff about Chiarelli’s resignation, CEO Godfrey Motsa said: “It is important to remember that IT systems and networks cannot be fixed by money alone. It requires a team of dedicated people, working through the length and breadth of the organization, developing the strategies, the operational, management and maintenance plans, always with a clear vision for the future. This is how Giovanni delivered Mzansi’s Bozza network.”

Chiarelli joined MTN in November 2016 from Vodafone Romania, where he was CTO.

He has 22 years of experience in IT, working for multinational corporations such as Infostrada, Accenture, Telecom Italia and Vodafone Group.

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