London Business School

University of Mumbai

King's College London

- Launched mobile networks and implemented 50 low cost renewable energy sites to service unconnected customers. ▪ Saved $10M Capex and increased the Burundi operation value by upgrading the GSM service provider license to a Universal Service License. ▪Managed a tower sales portfolio valued at $8M and further improved asset valuation by 20% through long term rent credit. ▪ Analyzed markets to find commercial opportunities, evaluate innovative products and services, and engage with B2B sectors to reduce mass market dependency.

Smart East Africa

Chief Executive Officer / Country Head

- Created an atmosphere of open communication, integrity, and accountability backed by team-building exercises to strengthen team unity. Hosted monthly town hall meetings to clarify policies and mitigate problems.▪ Increased Uganda market revenue to $2.5M in less than 30 months after project launch. Gained 100K subscribers in the first four months through a national roaming contract. ▪ Directed network transformation in the Burundi market from a voice only to a data enabled network generating a 12% revenue diversification in three months with improved connectivity. ▪ Gained necessary license to implement Digital Financial Services and Mobile Payments in Uganda and Burundi.

Group Chief Operations Officer

- Initiated and chaired the first-ever Consortium for fibre infrastructure rollout to implement 93 kms of joint fiber in Kinshasa.▪ Led downsizing to maintain team member motivation during the transition to address market conditions. Ensured that client services achieved quality standards. ▪ Saved $336K annually in Opex costs through alternative power solutions and reduced dependency on 40 diesel generator sites. ▪ Launched a national data center and four regional data centers in DRC to increase the quality of services.

Millicom International Cellular-Tigo DRC

Chief Operations Officer

- Directed long-term and short-term network planning and business strategies from a technical perspective. ▪ Mitigated business risk by 40% and reduced dependency on a single failure point through a disaster recovery plan implemented over two years. ▪ Launched Tigo Pesa, the first mobile money service in D.R.C., to serve unbanked customers.▪ Saved $200K USD in fuel costs through updated policies and security strategies in extremely volatile areas of DRC.

Chief Technology Officer

- Owned a portfolio valued at $14M USD and led every project phase from pre-sales and concept to delivery. Consulted technical and sales teams on pre-sales service integration and value-added services.▪ Optimized resources, defined resources requirements, and estimated project costs. Collected, tracked, and analyzed project data to resolve variances involving, cost, revenue, and timelines. ▪ Drove change management and scope updates throughout the project lifecycle.

Nokia Siemens Networks

Country Project Manager-Consulting & Solutions Integration

- Reported to the CTO and the Management Board on key phases of strategic projects. ▪ Owned a technology portfolio valued at $20M to consolidate business operations from RFP to On Air.▪ Managed roll out of company-wide ERP system engaging all stakeholders for a timely project delivery. ▪ Led network modernization with swap to converged billing system from basic charging system.

Roshan (TELECOM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY AFGHANISTAN)

Project Management Officer

- Launched and maintained 800+ sites across challenging Afghanistan geography. ▪ Owned Opex valued at $15M and a Capex budget valued at $100M.▪ Established a Main and Disaster recovery datacenter for the operator to mitigate business risk. ▪ Mentored junior local team members on network maintenance to reduce expat workforce needs by 50% over the first four years.

Akbar Ladak