Visa appoints Lineshree Moodley as its new Country Head for South Africa

SOUTH AFRICA – Global payments company Visa has appointed Lineshree Moodley as its new Country Head for South Africa (SA). Lineshree will be responsible for the development and implementation of Visa’s growth strategy in the region and will be part of the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) leadership team at Visa.

Lineshree’s appointment is in line with Visa’s vision to continue to build a solid regional team by matching unique strengths and talents with critical business opportunities.

“Lineshree’s appointment reflects the importance we place in the South African market and in supporting our clients and partners,” Senior Vice President at Visa and Head of Sub-Saharan Africa, Aida Diarra said.

“The depth of experience that she brings will enable her to make immediate contributions to our strategy and growth within the region and Sub-Saharan Africa. We look forward to Lineshree’s leadership in building on our continued efforts to help accelerate digital commerce in South Africa.”

Prior to this new role, Lineshree held various positions at Visa including Head of Visa Consulting and Analytics for Sub-Saharan Africa and more recently as Interim Cluster Country Head for Visa South Africa and prior to joining Visa Lineshree was a Managing Director at Accenture Financial Services (SA).

Lineshree has over 17 years’ experience in retail banking and has made a significant impact on the future of eCommerce in Sub-Saharan Africa. She has also supported mobile network operators and fintechs across various markets to develop strategies and digitize payments within the continent.

Fishing company Oceana appoints finance guru Zafar Mahomed as Chief Financial Officer

SOUTH AFRICA – Africa’s largest fishing company, Oceana Group, has appointed Zafar Mahomed, the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Cell C and McDonald’s SA, as its new financial head effective 1 November.

Mahomed will take over from interim CFO Ralph Buddle, who has been filling in since February 2021 after the suspension and eventual firing of Hajra Karrim from the company for “gross negligence”.

According to Oceana, Mahomed will officially assume office as its CFO and executive director of its board from 1 February 2023, to allow for a smooth transition and handover.

The new appointee has more than 25 years’ experience in finance and business across major industries, multinational and listed companies as well as worldwide brands in multiple industries ranging from manufacturing to retail, financial services, real estate and property, food, medical devices, hospitality, mining equipment and FMCG.

He has vast experience and a proven track-record in the telecommunications, food franchise; and furniture retail industries.

In addition to the above skills and expertise, Mr Mahomed brings to the group a wealth of multinational finance experience with particular expertise in mergers and acquisitions, strategy and development, property management, investor relations, change management and business turnaround skills.

Mahomed is a chartered accountant (SA) and holds a Master of Business Leadership (MBL) degree from the Unisa School of Business Leadership, a Bachelor of Commerce honours degree from Unisa and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

TechPR Nigeria appoints Felicia Omari Ochelle as new CEO

NIGERIA – TechPR Nigeria, a Public Relations and Communications firm, has announced the appointment of Felicia Omari Ochelle as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Prior to joining TechPR Nigeria, Ochelle served as Senior Editor at Ventures Africa, one of Africa’s leading players in the media space. In her role, she conducted high profile interviews with thought leaders in the business industry, led a team through a difficult transition from print to online media, produced and published original content around some of the world’s most pressing issues.

“We are excited to welcome Felicia to the team, and I’m very confident that she will play a significant role in driving our expansion to countries like Kenya and Egypt,” Adegoke Oyeniyi, Founder, TechPR Nigeria said.

“She also brings a wealth of experience and energy that will provide the strategic direction and drive which TechPR needs to grow.”

Felicia is a strong media and communications professional with a B.A in English Language from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. 2019 Charles Koch Media and Journalism Fellow and 2016 MJ Bear Fellowship Honoree. She also holds a Diploma in Advanced Digital Marketing.

On her appointment, Felicia said: “I am very pleased to be joining TechPR Nigeria at an exciting time for tech in Africa. This is a great opportunity to help more startups navigate media relations, new target audiences and an evolving ecosystem.”

MTN appoints Fatima Laher as new Executive for Group Legal

AFRICA – MTN Group has announced the appointment of Fatima Laher as Group Executive: Group Legal, effective 1 October 2022. Fatima re-joins MTN from Samsung Electronics, where she held the role of Head of Africa Disputes, for the past six years.

“Fatima is adept at providing expert strategic and innovative advice to senior leadership in the prestigious institutions she has worked for locally and internationally,” Lele Modise, Group Chief Legal and Regulatory officer said.

“As Executive: Group Legal, Fatima will provide support in overseeing all legal areas and managing legal risk, supporting strategic projects and initiatives across MTN Group, as well as supporting the implementation of the Group Legal & Regulatory strategy.”

Fatima is a seasoned multi-skilled Legal Executive with expertise across various disciplines, including but not limited to managing high value cross border litigation, legal risk mitigation and corporate investigations, mergers, and acquisitions, as well as commercial law.

Fatima brings more than 25 years of legal experience to MTN, having held various roles at pan-African (Bowman Gilfillan Africa Group, Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs Africa) and international law firms (Herbert Smith Freehills LLP (Dubai) and Norton Rose Fulbright LLP (Dubai). Some of her previous roles include being Partner (Director) at Bowman Gilfillan Africa Group, responsible for corporate compliance and investigations and Executive: Group Commercial Legal, Regulatory and Compliance at MTN Group.

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