MAZIV has strengthened its leadership team by appointing Phila Dube as Group Chief Commercial Officer. This appointment builds on the group’s previous strategic appointments from the preceding year.
Dube has held a number of top positions in the telecommunications industry, including his present position as Chief Commercial Officer of Openserve, and has a depth of experience from his 26-year tenure with Telkom.
Though initially focused on finance inside the sales and marketing division, he progressed to commercial strategy, business strategy, and product development. He is recognized for his expertise in strategic leadership and revenue growth.
“Phila’s extensive experience in the sector and deep understanding of customer needs align perfectly with our vision for the future. Phila is the ideal candidate to drive our commercial strategies forward across our consumer, enterprise, and carrier brands,” says MAZIV Group Chief Executive Officer, Dietlof Mare.
In his prior job, he spearheaded several groundbreaking initiatives, including a big managed dark fiber partnership with considerable commercial value for the company. He also played an important role in tripling the company’s fiber broadband subscriber base and growing its channel partner ecosystem.
“I wanted to be at the coalface where decisions are made,” he says, adding that his shift in focus from finance to other, more strategic areas of the business enabled him to gain a deeper understanding of the industry and the technologies shaping it, thus providing an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the fiber connectivity landscape.
As the new Group Chief Commercial Officer at MAZIV, Dube will focus on shaping the overall commercial strategy for the group and exploring ways to engage and serve the company’s various customer segments.
Dube’s degrees include a Bachelor of Accounting Science from the University of South Africa, a Master of Business Leadership (MBL) from UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership, a Certificate in Executive Leadership Development from the Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland, and Harvard Business School’s Senior Executive Program for Africa (SEPA) in Boston, USA.
“My priority is on deeply understanding our enterprise, carrier, and mass market customers and identifying ways to help them succeed in their strategic goals,” he says. “By aligning our offerings and engagement models to their evolving needs, I believe we can unlock tremendous value and also have a meaningful impact on communities.”
He says that being in the commercial role affords him the best opportunity to help drive adoption and make a meaningful impact on ordinary people’s lives. “Creating a more enabling environment is crucial to driving innovation, increasing accessibility, and fostering equitable growth across the sector. These are the opportunities I am excited to pursue in my new role.”
“From a broader perspective, I believe MAZIV and I share the same belief in the power of human connection and the purpose of positively impacting lives and shaping a better future for all South Africans. And that was a significant motivator in taking up this role,” he says.
