Airtel, a leading global telecom company, has appointed Louis Luballa and Antoine Pamboro as the new Managing Directors of its operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Gabon respectively. The appointment sees these Airtel top executives take the leadership roles in two African nations with diverse potentials in the telecommunication sector.
Gabon has one of the highest tele-density statistics at over 100 percent while DRC, the second largest country in Africa by area, has approximately 25 percent penetration.
Speaking on the appointments, Mr. Tiemoko Coulibaly, CEO (Francophone Africa), Bharti Airtel, said, “These appointments are a clear indication of our commitment to appreciate and tap into the deep reservoir of management skills of the blue chip executive pool in Africa.
“Mr. Luballa and Mr. Pambaro have the requisite experience and leadership skills to successfully steer our top francophone operations. Both executives will bring different perspectives to two of Africa’s most dynamic telecommunications markets.”
Mr. Louis Luballa is expected to lead an aggressive agenda in DRC to boost the organization’s network capabilities and grow availability across the vast country while Mr. Antoine Pambaro will build a strong data proposition for Airtel’s customers in Gabon.
Mr. Pambaro holds a Master’s degree in Telecommunications Civil Engineering from the Superior National School of Telecommunications, France and a Bachelor’s degree in Maths and Physics from the University of Reims, France. A career Engineer, he headed operations in Airtel DRC and brings over 28 years’ telecommunications experience in both the public and private sectors. He joined the company 12 years ago in 2000 after leaving MTN where he had a successful career with several senior leadership roles.
Prior to his latest role as Managing Director in DRC, Antoine Pambaro had been working as Managing Director for Celtel Congo Brazzaville. Mr Pambaro also worked for Camtel Mobile in Cameroon as Managing Director.
Before his appointment as the Managing Director, Mr. Luballa headed Airtel operations in Gabon. He brings over 25 years’ experience from both the telecommunication and the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors having worked with multinational companies such as Electric Liberty South Africa, Multi-Choice Africa, World Space – Southern Africa, Quantum International, Unilever Cote d’Ivoire, Lever Brothers South Africa, and Unilever DRC.
Mr. Louis’s tenure at Airtel Gabon saw him register growth in revenue market share, while building a stable, sustainable business model since July 2010. Previously, Mr. Luballa headed Airtel operations as the Managing Director for Niger between July 2008 and June 2010 and Marketing Director in Zambia from August 2006 to July 2008.
