Tizeti names Emmanuel Ikazoboh as new Chairman, appoints new board members

LAGOS, Nigeria, June 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tizeti Network Limited, West Africa’s pioneer solar-based internet service provider has today, announced the appointment of Emmanuel Ikazoboh as its Board Chairman.

Emmanuel Ikazoboh is the immediate past Group Chairman of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), Chairman of ARM Pensions Managers Limited (Pensions Fund Administrators), and is the International Vice Chairman at International Institute for Sustainable Development, Canada. He is an independent/Non-Executive Director for Nampak Packaging Limited South Africa and Dangote Cement Plc.

He was appointed Administrator of The Nigerian Stock Exchange and helped transform the Nigerian Stock Exchange as well as the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS), and was responsible for restructuring the management, equities market, stock brokerage processes, and corporate governance structure of both entities to create an enviable Stock Exchange in Africa.

“Tizeti’s growing market share in the unlimited internet market in Nigeria provides huge opportunities to tackle digital exclusion for millions in the region. The company’s impact over the last nine years and ongoing transformation reveal the opportunities ahead, especially in a digital economy. Tizeti has a deserved reputation for its innovative products and disruptive approach, and I look forward to serving as its Board Chairman”, said Ikazoboh.

Emmanuel Ikazoboh has held previous roles as the Chairman/CEO of Deloitte West & Central Africa; Managing Partner for Deloitte Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), and Client Service Director for Deloitte Africa. He also served as Partner of Deloitte & Touche in Dartford UK and brings an international perspective to Tizeti’s business. He is a Member of the Presidential Committee for the restructuring of the Nigerian Government Ministries, Agencies, and Commissions and the reduction of the cost of governance.

He holds an MBA in Financial Management from Manchester University Business School, is certified as a UK Certified Accountant, and holds Fellowships at the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants and the Nigeria Institute of Chartered Accountants.

The other new members of the Tizeti board include Engr. Okechukwu Obiagwu and Patricia Aiyedun. Okechukwu Obiagwu is an Electrical/Electronic Engineer with significant experience in the oil and gas industry. He previously worked at Halliburton Energy Service for 19 years and rose to Senior Leadership as the Country Manager for the Wireline and Perforating division, before he explored his interests in alternative/clean energy, oil and gas services, and eCommerce. He is a graduate of Electrical/Electronic Engineering from the University of Port Harcourt.

Patricia Aiyedun is the Chief Financial Officer at inq. Digital (previously Vodacom Business Africa) and has 16 years of broad experience in professional service. Her experience covers due diligence on M&A transactions, financial reporting, auditing, and advisory. She previously worked as a Senior Manager at the Big 4 firm PricewaterhouseCoopers and started her career at Diamond Bank. She obtained her first degree from the University of Ibadan, is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of Nigeria (ACCA), and has acquired numerous certifications.

“Tizeti continues to grow at a fast pace and expanding our board will provide the guidance our leadership team needs to continue to grow the company to fulfill its mission of being Africa’s top provider of Internet and Voice. It also helps to increase corporate governance & diversity, improve corporate decision making & strategy at our company, and position Tizeti firmly for the digital economy,” said Kendall Ananyi, Chief Executive Officer of Tizeti.

About Tizeti
Tizeti is a fast-growing Wireless Internet service provider in Lagos, Nigeria, delivering high-speed unlimited Wi-Fi Internet access to residential and business customers using wide-area Wi-Fi. Its services are available in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Rivers States. It is also expanding rapidly to other African countries, with successful launches in Accra and Tema, Ghana.

Contact: Temitope Osunrinde (press@tizeti.com)

TrueCommerce Appoints Randy Curran as CEO to Lead Company Through Next Phase of Growth

Veteran technology leader will further align the company to drive increased value for global customers

FLORHAM PARK, N.J., June 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TrueCommerce, a global provider of trading partner connectivity, integration, and unified commerce solutions, announced today that Randy Curran has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, effective June 1, 2022.

“We’re incredibly proud of the growth TrueCommerce has experienced,” said Ryan Harper, General Partner for Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS) and member of the TrueCommerce Board of Directors. “We’re confident TrueCommerce will accelerate this upward trajectory under Randy’s guidance. He is a proven leader with an extensive background in leading companies into their next stages of growth and operational excellence.”

TrueCommerce’s growth is attributed to several factors. With its acquisition of DiCentral, the company doubled its headcount, increased its customer base by 40%, and expanded its presence across the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific. It also invested in its global platform and product development, experiencing a 24% increase in total connections to its global network year over year and a 25% increase in overall data volume on the TrueCommerce Commerce Network compared to 2020.

Mr. Curran is a long-time technology leader with decades of experience transforming and propelling high-growth, international companies to success. He most recently served as an Operating Partner for WCAS, a leading U.S. private equity firm and majority stakeholder of TrueCommerce. Prior to Welsh Carson, Mr. Curran served as CEO for OHL, Inc. (later purchased by GEODIS), the fourth-largest third-party logistics warehouse (3PL) in the U.S., where he created alignment among the management team and led the enhancement of information systems that serviced customers and employees. Mr. Curran also held CEO roles at ITC^Deltacom, Inc. (now Deltacom), ICG Communications, and Thermadyne Holdings, Inc. He graduated from DePauw University with a B.A. in Economics and has an MBA from Loyola University.

“TrueCommerce is at the forefront of the supply chain technology market, and in a global economy that necessitates reliable, seamless supply chain solutions, the growth opportunities for the company are tremendous,” said Mr. Curran. “I’m honored to join this talented team to drive home the alignment of customer success, implementation, support, and making TrueCommerce a destination employer.”

About Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe
WCAS is a leading U.S. private equity firm focused on two target industries: healthcare and technology. Since its founding in 1979, the firm’s strategy has been to partner with outstanding management teams and build value for its investors through a combination of operational improvements, growth initiatives, and strategic acquisitions. The firm has raised and managed funds totaling over $27 billion of committed capital. For more information, please visit www.wcas.com.

About TrueCommerce
TrueCommerce is the most complete way to connect your business across the supply chain, integrating everything from EDI, to inventory management, to fulfillment, to digital storefronts and marketplaces. We’ve revolutionized supply chain visibility and collaboration by helping organizations make the most of their omnichannel initiatives via business P2P connectivity, order management, collaborative replenishment, intelligent fulfillment, cross-functional analytics, and product information management.

The TrueCommerce Global Commerce Network can connect businesses to over 160,000 retailers, distributors, and logistics service providers. As a fully managed services provider, we also manage new trading partner onboarding, as well as the ongoing management of partner-specific mapping, labeling changes, and communications monitoring. That’s why thousands of companies—ranging from startups to the global Fortune 100, across various industries—rely on us.

TrueCommerce: Do business in every direction
For more information, visit https://www.truecommerce.com.

Media Contact
Yegor Kuznetsov
Director, Marketing Communications
1-703-209-0167
yegor.kuznetsov@truecommerce.com

Zoom Hires Greg Tomb as President

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) today announced that Greg Tomb will join the company as President effective June 7, 2022. Tomb brings more than 20 years of experience and comes to Zoom from Google Cloud, where he was most recently Vice President of Sales, Google Workspace, SMB, Data & Analytics, Geo Enterprises, and Security Sales.

Reporting directly to Zoom founder and CEO Eric S. Yuan, Tomb will oversee the company’s go-to-market strategy, revenue efforts, and office of the Global CIO. Tomb will help shape Zoom’s next chapter as the company continues transforming into a multi-product platform that enables communication, hybrid work, and an expanding number of business workflows.

Mr. Yuan said, “I am so excited to welcome Greg to the Zoom team. Greg is a highly-respected technology industry leader and has deep experience in helping to scale companies at critical junctures. His strategic thinking, can-do attitude, and value of care he brings to customers make him the perfect addition to our strong leadership team.”

Mr. Tomb said, “I’m thrilled to join forces with Eric and the Zoom team to help drive growth. I strongly believe that Zoom has an impressive foundation with its multi-product platform, and I look forward to the tremendous opportunities ahead to help businesses around the world address their communications and collaboration needs.”

About Greg Tomb

Greg oversees Zoom’s go-to-market strategy, revenue efforts, and office of the Global CIO. Most recently he was Vice President of Sales, Google Workspace, SMB, Data & Analytics, Geo Enterprises, and Security Sales at Google Cloud. Before Google, Greg was the President of Sales and GTM for SAP’s cloud offerings, including Intelligent Spend, SuccessFactors, Customer Experience, Digital Supply Chain, Concur, as well as SAP Business Technology Platform. Prior to SAP, Greg served as CEO of Vivido Labs Inc. and has held management positions at Accenture Consulting and Comergent Technologies Inc. He is also on the Board of Directors of Pure Storage Corporation.

About Zoom
Zoom is for you. Zoom is a space where you can connect to others, share ideas, make plans, and build toward a future limited only by your imagination. Our frictionless communications platform is the only one that started with video as its foundation, and we have set the standard for innovation ever since. That is why we are an intuitive, scalable, and secure choice for large enterprises, small businesses, and individuals alike. Founded in 2011, Zoom is publicly traded (NASDAQ:ZM) and headquartered in San Jose, California. Visit zoom.com and follow @zoom.

Zoom Public Relations
Colleen Rodriguez
Head of Global PR
press@zoom.us

Zoom Investor Relations
Tom McCallum
Head of Investor Relations
ir@zoom.us

COVID-19: Uganda warns of resurgence of cases

KAMPALA— Uganda has warned that it is experiencing an increase in the number of daily COVID-19 cases compared to the stable trends it observed since January.

The increase is similar to the rise the country faced in June 2021 when the Delta variant was prevalent, Ruth Aceng, the minister of health, said in a tweet.

“As a country, we are well prepared to respond and save lives than before. We have no indication for travel restrictions, or lockdown in the current circumstances,” she said. “We will optimize the existing control and mitigation tools at personal and community levels.”

The minister said the measures being taken to address the resurgence include vaccination for all, requiring mask wearing at all times especially by the vulnerable population, and hand washing.

Uganda experienced the second wave of the pandemic in June last year, which left several people dead and hundreds hospitalized, forcing the country into a lockdown.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

South African Language Groups Demand Ryanair Stop Using Afrikaans Test

South Africa’s language authorities have denounced Irish airline Ryanair for requiring a test in Afrikaans for all South Africans before they can fly to Britain. Afrikaans is spoken by about 12% of South Africans as their first language and the country boasts ten other official ones, including the more widely spoken Zulu and Xhosa. Singling out Afrikaans also reopens apartheid-era racial wounds.

VOA asked Dublin-based Ryanair about its test, which is given to South African passport holders traveling in Europe en route to Britain.

In response, Ryanair said: “Due to the high prevalence of fraudulent South African passports, we require passengers travelling to the UK to fill out a simple questionnaire issued in Afrikaans. If they are unable to complete this questionnaire, they will be refused travel and issued with a full refund.”

The CEO of the Pan South African Language Board, Lance Schulz, says the board has expressed its displeasure with Ryanair’s Afrikaans test because many South Africans do not understand the language.

“Our view is that the decision is quite reckless and reminiscent of the apartheid systemic subjugation of speakers of other languages, mainly black people. And in essence our concern is that it creates racial as well as linguistic discrimination. We believe that not just is it in contravening our constitutional democracy as well as linguistic diversity, but it’s an ignorance of the UN Declaration of Human Rights,” he said.

Schultz says the Board believes that Ryanair must find other non-discriminatory means to test South African passports.

Meanwhile, the CEO of the Afrikaans Language Council, Conrad Steenkamp, has written directly to Ryanair to explain how absurd their test is.

He says many South Africans would fail a test given in Zulu or one of the other official languages.

Steenkamp says he hopes that Ryanair will see the error of its ways.

“Thus far Ryanair has not responded to us about our comments. We advised them to, one: immediately stop using the profiling; two: they need to start apologizing to people. People were turned back from flights as a result of this and they are in serious jeopardy, this could end up in court cases,” he said.

Reuters reports that the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa said it was taken aback by Ryanair’s decision to use the Afrikaans test. The department reportedly said the government had measures that it regularly shares with airlines to curb any instances of fake documents.

Ironically, news of Ryanair’s Afrikaans test breaks in June when Youth Day is marked in South Africa. The day commemorates the 1976 uprising against the language.

On the 16th of this month 46 years ago, thousands of black students marched in Soweto against the white apartheid government’s insistence that Afrikaans be a compulsory medium of instruction in South African schools.

Their peaceful protest was met with teargas and live ammunition fired by police, and it’s estimated at least 176 people died in the unrest.

Source: Voice of America