Telecom giant, MTN Group has just appointed Yolanda Cuba as its new chief digital and Fintech officer. This, according to reports, will see the former Vodacom Group executive join the MTN Group executive committee reporting to the Group CEO.
In this role, Cuba will be charged with leading the group’s strategic expansion of its financial services (mobile money) and digital solutions efforts across the Group’s market on the continent. She will also help the group stake its claim as a leader in the Fintech space as it looks to transform into a full digital operator.
But Cuba is not new to all these. An expert in the telecommunications industry, she holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Statistics and Accounting from the University of Cape Town. She is also an alumnus of global business school, INSEAD’s International Executive Programme.
Cuba began her career in marketing in 1999 with Robertsons Foods, after which she joined Mvelaphanda in 2003 in its corporate finance division. She rose through the ranks quickly and was appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer that same year.
Her most recent appointment was at Vodacom where she served as the Chief Officer of Strategy and New Business. Before that, she was the CEO of Vodafone Ghana for about 3 years which earned her Telecom CEO of the Year award in 2018.
But that was not her first role as a CEO, she had served as the Chief Executive Officer of New Bond Capital Limited in 2007. She has also served as executive director for strategy and business support at South African Breweries and was selected as one of the Young Global Leaders in 2008 by the World Economic Forum.
In all, Cuba has about 20 years of experience which comes on the back of pretty voluminous work history. So, she brings along with her extensive telecommunications and leadership experience to MTN Group.
This role gives me the opportunity to drive digital innovation and financial inclusion across the group’s vast footprint. I’m really looking forward to the new challenge and being part of the MTN leadership team.
Yolanda Cuba
Interestingly, she is not the first senior executive to leave Vodacom and parent company, Vodafone for MTN. Rob Shuter, MTN Group CEO was also at a time Vodacom’s Chief Financial Officer. And he did not fail to express his confidence in her experience and skills.
I am confident that Yolanda’s leadership will place us in good stead as we intensify our efforts to build a digital ecosystem and scale our FinTech offering across our markets.
Rob Shuter
He believes MTN under Cuba’s leadership will continue to progressively grow the Fintech and digital opportunities in Africa.
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