Ziad Dalloul has spent more than 30 years setting up and managing successful telecoms projects, ranging from international communications companies to cellular operators and the building of fixed and mobile telecommunications infrastructure in Africa, the Middle East, the Gulf, and Eastern Europe. Ziad established Africell in 2001 and has engineering degrees from Boston University and Columbia University.

Ian Paterson has more than 16 years of experience in the financial services and investment industry, with a focus on telecommunications in Africa. Having started his career in investment banking, Ian left Jefferies to join Africell as Chief Investment Officer in 2018 and he is responsible for the company’s financing strategy and business development.

Magase Mogale has almost 16 years’ legal and investment experience. He started his career in South Africa, at Deneys Reitz Inc. (Norton Rose Fulbright) in 2008 and later moved to White & Case LLP in London. Magase joined Africell as Chief Legal Officer in 2020.

Ambassador J. Peter Pham is a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council and former Director of the think tank’s Africa Center. Between 2018-21, Ambassador Pham was a senior US State Department official serving first as US Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, and then as US Special Envoy for the Sahel. Ambassador Pham is a globally regarded expert on African affairs and in 2015, the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution elected him to the Board of the National Museum of African Art, of which he served as vice-chair from 2016-21.

“Telecoms is a great sector in which to put my engineering background into practice. The smooth functioning of our mobile network requires the careful operation of millions of individual pieces of high-tech equipment. Africell’s network is also what allows our subscribers to stay connected to friends and loved ones. This makes the role of being an engineer at Africell both challenging and rewarding – because if we fail, the system fails, and customers lose out.”

“The industry we operate in has the potential to deliver positive social impact on a large scale. This defines the culture at Africell. We want to provide customers a better range of high-quality products at affordable prices, and we want to do so in a way that creates long-term social and economic benefits for the communities we work in. Working in the strategy team, I have hands-on involvement in shaping our approach.”

“People form the heart and soul of any business, and it’s no different at Africell. As a Human Resources Manager, it is my job to help recruit, train and retain the best people for the job. Working in the telecoms sector isn’t always easy because it is such a critical industry on which so many people rely, but the culture and team spirit we have created at Africell means that colleagues usually come to work with a smile on their face.”

“Africell enjoys relationships with many types of customer, including both individual consumers and entire organisations. As head of corporate sales in DRC, I engage directly with companies and organisations that have a need for reliable, affordable and high-quality telecommunications services at scale. Working with corporate customers and designing a commercial strategy for that specific segment of the market requires a unique skillset, and I have had the opportunity to build a grow and team of excellent sales professionals.”

“As a radio network operator, I work directly with the advanced equipment which forms the backbone of our mobile network. Operating in Africa, where infrastructure is not always reliable and weather can sometimes be dangerous, Africell needs to adapt the way we work to local conditions. Accessing remote facilities to perform critical maintenance and upgrade operations can be a challenge, but it is also one of the most fun parts of the job because we get to experience some beautiful and fascinating places.”

“In my role as a sales manager, I have to understand both the fine details and the “big picture” of Africell’s products and services. Customers come to me with all sorts of questions, and it is my job to answer them clearly and accurately, so that the customer leaves the conversation satisfied with the service they have received from Africell. I speak to customers online, on the phone and face to face – although as all my colleagues will agree, meeting customers directly is always best!”

“As a significant corporate player in the countries in which operate, people are naturally interested in what Africell is doing and what our plans are. PR, communications and marketing are extremely important functions in the company because they allow us to express ourselves and convey important messages to our most important audiences – including the general public, of course, but also including governments, investors, and media. Africell takes pride in doing business transparently and communicating well is key to that.”

“At Africell we are deliberate in delivering excellent customer “care” rather than just “service”. To us, customer care captures the idea of relational interaction and being with our customers every step of the way. We take their ambitions and concerns as seriously as we take our own. I manage over thirty Africell Customer Care centres in Sierra Leone, including our flagship centre in Freetown, and it is a privilege to be able to contribute to the happiness of the amazing customers who make our business possible.”