Alan Knott-Craig Sr, executive board member and former CEO of Cell C.
South Africa’s third operator Cell C has confirmed the appointment of Jose Dos Santos as chief executive officer (CEO) following five months as interim head of the company, with former CEO Alan Knott-Craig Sr moving to the role of executive board member.
HumanIPO reported in November Knott-Craig had suffered a stroke, with Dos Santos stepping in as acting CEO while Knott-Craig was recovering in hospital.
Cell C has now announced that while Knott-Craig is sufficiently well to return to the company, he will do so in a consulting and advisory role as executive board member, providing advice pertaining to Cell C and the Oger Telecom Group.
Dos Santos is now the confirmed CEO of the operator.
“Alan has made a remarkable recovery since he suffered a stroke in November last year and has officially been back at the company since 5 May 2014,” said Mohammed Hariri, chairman of Cell C.
“I am very pleased that Alan has agreed to take up this new role, as his wealth of experience in the telecommunications industry is an invaluable asset for the Group at large.
“Alan joined Cell C on 1 April 2012 and was instrumental in setting the direction of the company and its success over the past two years. Without his visionary leadership, Cell C would not have been the strong competitor that it is today.”
The chairman thanked Dos Santos for his “sterling” work as interim CEO, saying the company has gone from “strength to strength” under his guidance.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Jose Dos Santos and the entire management team of Cell C for their incredible leadership and support during Alan’s absence and for ensuring the company stays on track during a time that has seen considerable changes in the South African mobile industry,” Hariri said.
