MTN appoints Liquid veteran to head ICT Centre of Excellence

MTN Group and MTN South Africa have appointed Liquid Intelligent Technologies executive David Behr as the new chief executive for their ICT Centre of Excellence (CoE).

MTN said in a statement that the CoE is a centralized unit within the organization that is responsible "for developing and promoting best practices, processes and standards for the business" and will drive platform and solution development in the ICT enterprise space.

Behr is currently CEO of Liquid C2, which is Liquid Intelligent Technologies' cloud and cybersecurity business, and will join MTN on November 1, 2023.

Behr will succeed Vaughn Naidoo, who held the interim position as head of MTN's CoE.

MTN called Behr an industry veteran with over two decades of experience across the enterprise arena – including enterprise cloud, cyber security, Internet of Things (IOT) solutions and platform development.

"Behr's experience in developing CoEs will help MTN achieve the enterprise scale it requires across its nineteen operating markets," the operator added.

Scaling enterprise solutions across Africa

MTN South Africa CEO Charles Molapisi said Behr's role will include advancing MTN's strategic initiatives, driving innovation that enhances customers' digital experiences, and strengthening partnerships – particularly with cloud hyperscalers.

"ICT solutions specifically designed to service enterprises is undoubtedly one of the most fast-developing and ever-evolving sectors within business today. By pulling together best-in-class multidisciplinary specialists, we can drive thought leadership and guarantee fast task execution while enhancing our organization's capabilities," added MTN Group COO Jens Schulte-Bockum.

MTN's ICT Centre of Excellence aims to drive platform and solution development to enable the operator's enterprise business to scale across Africa. (Source: Image by Freepik)

Behr founded one of Zimbabwe's first Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ZOL in 1995, growing the business into the largest ISP in the country.

In 2012, he joined Liquid Intelligent Technologies after the acquisition of ZOL.

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As the boss of Liquid C2, he was responsible for building the business across Africa through partnerships with global cloud providers, local independent software vendors, and strategic acquisitions.

Behr has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Master of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Bristol in the UK.

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*Top image is of David Behr the new chief executive of MTN's ICT Centre of Excellence. (Source: MTN.)

— Paula Gilbert, Editor, Connecting Africa