MAZIV has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Phila Dube as Group Chief Commercial Officer. This appointment continues the group’s momentum of strategic appointments made over the past year. Dube brings a wealth of experience from his 26-year-long career with the Telkom group where he held various senior roles, culminating in his position as Chief Commercial Officer at Openserve.
“Phila’s extensive experience in the sector and deep understanding of customer needs align perfectly with our vision for the future. Phila is the ideal candidate to drive our commercial strategies forward across our consumer, enterprise and carrier brands,” says MAZIV Group Chief Executive Officer, Dietlof Mare.
Dube has held a range of senior roles throughout his career within the telecommunications industry. Though initially focused on finance within sales and marketing organisation, he transitioned to commercial strategy, business strategy and product innovation. He is recognised for his expertise in strategic leadership and revenue growth.
“I wanted to be at the coalface where decisions are made,” he says, adding that his shift in focus from finance to other more strategic areas of the business enabled him to gain a deeper understanding of the industry and the technologies shaping it thus providing an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the fibre connectivity landscape.
In his previous position, he was at the forefront of several ground-breaking initiatives, including a major managed dark fibre agreement of significant commercial value to the company. He also played a critical role in doubling the company’s fibre broadband subscriber base and expanding its channel partner ecosystem.
As the new Group Chief Commercial Officer at MAZIV, Dube will focus on shaping the overall commercial strategy for the group, and exploring ways to engage and serve the company’s various customer segments.
“My priority is on deeply understanding our enterprise, carrier and mass market customers, and identifying ways to help them succeed in their strategic goals,” he says. “By aligning our offerings and engagement models to their evolving needs, I believe we can unlock tremendous value and also have a meaningful impact on communities.”
Fibre is the new bread
Dube emphasises the importance of network providers in advancing digital literacy in South Africa. “At the end of the day, people can only consume what they understand. Unless fibre is seen as a basic necessity, like bread, rather than a luxury or technical concept, widespread adoption will remain a challenge.”
He says that being in the commercial role affords him the best opportunity to help drive adoption and make a meaningful impact on ordinary people’s lives. “Creating a more enabling environment is crucial to driving innovation, increasing accessibility and fostering equitable growth across the sector. These are the opportunities I am excited to pursue in my new role”.
“From a broader perspective, I believe MAZIV and I share the same belief in the power of human connection and the purpose of positively impacting lives and shaping a better future for all South Africans. And that was a significant motivator in taking up this role,” he says.
Dube holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science degree from the University of South Africa, a Master of Business Leadership (MBL) from UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership, a Certificate in Executive Leadership Development from the Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland and the Senior Executive Program for Africa (SEPA) from Harvard Business School in Boston USA.
Main Image: Supplied
