Areeba, Ghana's leading mobile phone company has appointed Mr. Brett Goschen as its new CEO. He is an accomplished Chartered Accountant with rich and varied senior level executive experience garnered over the years.
A commercially astute and operationally oriented leader, specializing in high growth environments, with specific competencies in strategic planning, and execution, building successful teams and both general and financial management.
Mr. Goschen possesses over a decade of cross-cultural experience in the mobile telecommunications industry after highly impressive stints in arguably two of the African continent's powerhouses-South Africa and Nigeria.
Until he took up his appointment with Areeba, Mr. Goschen was the Chief Financial Officer of MTN Nigeria, a GSM mobile operator with over USD 2 billion in annual sales, over 9.6 million active subscribers and 2000 employees. He assumed that position in 2002.
He supervised a 250-man finance department, encompassing Financial Planning and Analysis, Accounting, Forecasting, Taxation, Revenue Management, Treasury, Financial Operations, Risk Management, Procurement, Facilities and Security.
Brett played a major role in developing the Nigerian arm into the most profitable in the MTN Group, a feat which contributed in no small measure to the Group's share price rising by over 600% since his joining in the year 2002.
He also played a prominent role in securing USD395 million medium-term financing facility in a complex deal involving a consortium of some 17 Nigerian banks, the International Finance Corporation, an offshore Commercial Bank and three Development Financial Institutions-a deal adjudged the "Telecoms deal of 2003" by the influential Project Finance Magazine. Indeed, the team secured an additional USD 200 million a year later.
Prior to joining MTN, Brett was Financial Director and later Managing Director of Autopage Cellular (Pty) (1996-2002), the largest Independent service provider in South Africa. Brett managed a team of five Executive Directors and a total staff compliment of 580. Mr. Goshen significantly increased the profitability of the company which grossed USD 250 million in annual sales in 2002.
Mr. Goschen holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Natal-Durban and B.Compt. (Honors) degree from the University of South Africa. He is a member of the Board of Directors of MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, the MTN Nigeria Foundation and MTN Cote d'Ivoire. He is also a member of the Audit Committee (MTN Cote d'Ivoire).
