SITA ex-COO to head Lefatshe

By Leon Engelbrecht for SITA
Johannesburg, 15 Oct 2007

The State IT Agency's outgoing business operations chief executive Noedine Isaacs-Mpulo has been appointed CEO of Lefatshe Technologies, with effect from 5 November. She will also take an equity stake in the company. Her last day at SITA will be 2 November.

"I'll have a 29% share in the business," she says, "and will be equal partners with [chairman] Cheslyn Mostert and [outgoing CEO] Philip Arnold." The remaining 13% of the company is held by a staff trust.

Mostert is a former economic policy co-ordinator in the ANC presidency.

Isaacs-Mpulo says Arnold will assist her to find her feet at the company, holding the position of COO, and he will move to the position of CFO in the new year, once she has settled at the helm. Arnold is a chartered accountant by profession.

Asked about the choice of Lefatshe Technologies, Isaacs-Mpulo says: "I, first of all, wanted to do something more entrepreneurial. I want to have a stake in the business and contribute to growing something.

"What attracted me was the company's good technical skills. They have been operating for 26 months now and are doing very well. They are highly regarded in the security and training space."

Isaacs-Mpulo was pursued by a number of IT companies, including some multinationals, she says. "I've always been vocal about transformation in the industry and wanted to work for a South African company. I also chose to go to a small company where my skills can help grow the business into a major role-player in the South African IT sector."

Her remit, she says, is to grow the business beyond its current focus on security into a provider of comprehensive solutions.

No regrets

Isaacs-Mpulo served at SITA for nearly four years in different executive capacities. She says she has no regrets about her time there or about leaving: "People have jumped to all kinds of conclusions about my relations with [former acting CEO] Peter [Pedlar]. I had an incredible opportunity at SITA to grow and learn. I have a lot to thank Peter for my personal and professional advancement.

"I am still a very strong supporter of SITA as a concept and as an organisation. I had very good teams, very competent professionals working with me here. But, at this time, it is time for change. Perhaps I made some mistakes, but overall my time at SITA was very rich in experience and exposure. For that I'm very grateful."

The ex-SITA COO says she enjoys "fantastic relations" with new CEO Llewellyn Jones and has "always gone to him for counsel and advice".

Asked whether there would be a conflict of interest with her leaving SITA for Lefatshe Technologies, which does business with the state, she said: "Would there be a company where the question will not arise? I believe I've always conducted myself with integrity. There is little option in IT if you have worked for SITA.

"Lefatshe is a supplier to SITA, but so are most companies in SA. Tender processes in SITA are tight. It is not one person's decision. Now that I know where I'm going, I will, for the next few weeks, not be making any decisions involving Lefatshe."

Best wishes

Mostert has already congratulated Isaacs-Mpulo for joining his team: "The skills, expertise and experience Isaacs-Mpulo brings to Lefatshe are unique and without comparison in the domestic IT industry."

He added in a media statement that her successful tenure as COO at SITA was known and widely acknowledged in the industry. "She successfully executed executive responsibility over core business areas, even during periods when the organisation experienced a high turnover at executive level. Her responsibilities at SITA included client relationship management, sales, business performance, procurement services, marketing, infrastructure services, running the day-to-day operations at SITA and increasing revenue to the present R3.4 billion.

"Lefatshe welcomes the new CEO and firmly believes her leadership will harness the skills of the industry experts within the company. Isaacs-Mpulo will lead a team that we believe will enable us to achieve our goal of becoming a major role-player in the ICT industry," Mostert added.

"Isaacs-Mpulo had the option to pursue various other offers from dominant market players. Her decision to join Lefatshe, as a shareholder, demonstrates a principled commitment to further transformation in the ICT industry and to contribute to building capable black institutions in a highly competitive and contested market space."

She holds a Bachelor of Science and Honours degrees from Southeastern University, in Washington DC, where she also completed her secondary schooling. She joined SITA in January 2004. Between September 1998 and April 2001 she was VP of corporate development, VP of human resources, as well as VP of in-flight product and services at South African Airways. She is currently also serving on the boards of Blue IQ Holdings and The Innovation Hub, both state entities.